Maelstrom of paradis island
by Kartik Narayanan.R
Summary: Humanity is on the brink of extinction. Humans live inside walls in fear of Titans. Being the last descendent of an ancient bloodline, watch as Naruto struggles along with the rest of humanity to survive against insurmountable odds. NarutoxMikasa
1. Chapter 1

**Maelstrom of Paradis Island**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Attack on Titan. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Hajime Isayama respectively.

Normal speech: "Mikasa"  
Thoughts: 'Mikasa'

Chapter one: Beginning

 _ **Somewhere in the farmlands of wall Maria.**_

A ten-year-old boy could be seen crouching behind a bush as he eyed the two hares that were grazing the small patch of grass on the forest clearing. In his hands were two throwing knives ready to be thrown at the two hares to kill them. He had golden blonde hair with dark roots, mixed with some red hair and two bangs framed either side of his face. He had slightly tanned skin. He was quite tall for his age and he had an athletic build. He wore a dark green shirt and blue shorts which provided perfect camouflage for him. He also wore a green crystal necklace around his neck. His bluish purple eyes were narrowed as he inched closer to the unsuspecting hares. His footsteps were deft, without a single noise, showing that he was a skilled hunter, trained since he was little.

In moments, he was in position, his arms tensed taking aim at the two poor animals.

"NARUTO!" The voice startled both him and the hares. Sensing danger the hares tried to dash away from the clearing into the forest only for two throwing knives to impale them with such force that they skidded across the forest floor before coming to a stop, dead.

Naruto turned his head away from his recent kill to look at the new arrival with an annoyed look on his face.

"What the heck Mikasa!. You almost made me miss my shots!" He said in an annoyed tone.

" he hehe … sorry" The sheepish tone of her voice did not match the small grin on her face. He instantly knew she did that on purpose to annoy him. Again.

This had become a game of sort between the two of them, where they will try to get under each other's skin.

The now named Mikasa appeared to be the same age as Naruto. She had shining black hair, pale creamy skin, and bright black eyes. She wore a full sleeve shirt and black skirt which reached up to her knees. She also wore a necklace identical to the one he had. He gave that to her as a present for her birthday last year.

She smirked knowing that she managed to annoy him, although she was surprised that he still managed to hit both hares while they were in motion. It showed just how good he is at throwing projectiles. But that is to be expected, considering he was trained by his grandpa in the art of hunting from a very young age. She let out a sad sigh when she thought about his grandpa. His grandpa was the one who raised him since he was an infant. She still remembered how devastated he was when his grandfather died two years ago. And since then he was living at her house. Even though she knew that he was an experienced hunter and could take care of himself, she could not help but worry about him whenever he ventured into the forest for his usual morning hunt. He is her first and only friend after all. And they were both of Asian descent. Just another thing they had in common. Also, she has a crush on him, although she would never admit it.

She watched as he went to pick up the hares. For the past two years, he had been teaching her how to throw knives and how to hunt as well. And she was surprised to find that she was a natural at it. Hunting and throwing knives came naturally to her much to her friend's shock. Although she was not at his level of proficiency, she was proud to say she was very good at it.

Soon he came over to her, muttering something about annoying best friends.

" Here, carry this back home." He gave one of the hares for her to carry and started walking home.

"Okay!" she chirped happily as she took the hare from his hand.

With that, they began to make their way back home through the thick forest. It was a few minutes before Naruto decided to ask something

"Sooo... Mikasa, what did your mom cook for breakfast today?"

She just shrugged, " Just some vegetables and cereals which are really healthy" She replied with a slight smile knowing that he doesn't like vegetables. Honestly, she couldn't understand his obsession with meat. It's not like meat is the only source of nutrients.

"Whaaat?" He whined in a pitiful tone. "Why can't she make some meat. It's not like there is a shortage of meat or anything"

"Oh, stop your whining Naruto." She chided him lightly

"You can't eat meat all the time. you have to eat other foods as well." She turned around as her face scrunched in confusion "Why do you obsess over meat anyway?"

Naruto got a smug look on his face as rolled up his sleeves and showed her his biceps, " You see that!. How do you think I got these things?. Its all because of the countless amount of meat I ate."

Mikasa just rolled her eyes. she couldn't tell if he was just joking or being serious.'Does he seriously think he got those by eating meat' she sighed and decided to just drop the subject, as they continued on their way back home in silence.

Turning her head towards him she frowned when she saw the unusually serious expression on his face.

"What's wrong Naruto?"

He hesitated for a second, not knowing how she will react because the last time he told her about this, she did not react well. He sighed and decided to be honest with her.

"It's just…. Well… I am ten years old now. In two years I will be eligible to join the training cor-"

He didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before she yelled, "NO, YOU WILL NOT JOIN THE TRAINING CORPS OR THE SCOUTS!"

Mikasa was angry now. She did not want him to join the scouts. she knew how a lot of scouts died each time they went outside the walls. She did not want him to die by becoming titan food. The mere thought of him not being there in her life made her blood freeze in her veins. No, She would not allow him to join the scouts.

Naruto was slightly taken aback by the amount of anger in her voice. But he was also touched that she cared for his safety this much. She was his best friend after all.  
But he was not going to back down this time.

"Mikasa.." he started with a firm tone. "You know I can't do that. It was my grandfather's last wish before he died. What kind of grandson would I be if I can't even fulfill his last wish? Also, I really want to see what is outside those walls that are keeping us trapped for hundreds of years"

She lowered her head and turned away as she cursed his grandfather for planting those thoughts in his mind. she was also frustrated that she couldn't counter his argument.

Naruto sighed as he saw Mikasa turn away. He knew she did not like his decision. He walked up to her, before taking her hands into his and giving a slight squeeze.

"Mikasa, look at me." He reached and turned her head towards him as he looked her in the eye.

" I know you worry about me Mikasa, and honestly I am quite touched by that. But this is something that I have to do. You can't change my mind on this one Mikasa"

She could only sigh and nod, she knew Naruto could be quite stubborn when he wanted to be. she decided to drop the subject …..for now.

"Come on, let's not think about it right now. Besides, I can't wait to pull another prank on your father today," he said with a devious grin on his face, causing her to giggle.

Seeing her father getting pranked by Naruto every day was hilarious. With that, she began to follow him to their house.

 **XXX**

Mikasa's mother was busy preparing breakfast. Her husband was sitting on a couch at a corner polishing his gun. she was waiting for Mikasa to arrive with the final member of their household, Naruto. She smiled softly thinking about the boy. He just seemed to have so much energy, he just couldn't sit still for a minute. He spent most of his time running around doing something or plotting to prank her husband. She giggled when she thought about all the weird facial expression her husband make whenever he got pranked.

Mr. Ackerman raised an eyebrow seeing his wife giggle, " what's funny Maya?"

"Oh, nothing Renly. Just thinking about the face you would make when you get pranked by Naruto"

A tick mark appeared on his head, " I swear, one of these days I am going to get him back for all the times he made me look like a fool." He grumbled as he thought about all the times the blond menace had pranked him.

Maya just stared back at him with a dull look on her face, "Yeaaaah…. Right."

Getting irritated at his wife's lack of confidence his skills to prank that brat back, he scoffed, " You think I can't do It?. The brat only pranked me because I let him to. but he won't be able to make me fall for his stupid pranks anymore. Also, Mikasa has been acting rather close to him. That brat is already trying to steal my Precious daughter's heart. He needs to be thought a lesson."

Maya's head snapped back at him with a surprised look on her face.

"What? You thought I wouldn't notice the way Mikasa acts around him?"

She looked at him with a deadpan expression, " No…. I thought you were too dense to see that" causing him to face fault before he quickly picked himself up and slightly glared at her

"I am not dense Maya-chan" he bit out. 'That brat is rubbing off on Maya-chan too. I must teach him a lesson before he corrupts my lovely wife and daughter' a chibi Renly thought inside his mind. But his wife was not done yet.

" Besides, I don't mind Mikasa and Naruto being together," she said. Upon seeing the expression of disbelief on Renly's face," Come on, don't act like an overprotective father right now Renly. You and I both know that he will never do anything to hurt her."

Renly grumbled and nodded knowing what she said was true. But that doesn't mean that his unofficial rivalry with Naruto is over yet. He walked back to his couch, his look an expression of intense concentration, as he began to plot his revenge against Naruto

Maya smiled and rolled her eyes as he saw his expression. She knew exactly what was going through his mind, although she doubted his master plan would succeed. Ever.

It was a few minutes before the front door burst open and Naruto entered followed closely by Mikasa. He had a huge smile on his face.

"YO, OLD MAN!", he shouted with a huge grin on his face.

"I AM NOT OLD, BRAT!", as he got up from his couch.

"You sure do look old to me. And your instincts have dulled to the level of a five-year-old. I mean you got your hair dyed pink one time and didn't even realize it. You even went into town with that horrible hair for god's sake. How a lovely, beautiful and smart lady like Maya ever fell for you is a mystery I am still trying to figure out. " As he sent a charming smile towards Maya, causing her to giggle.

" Flatterer"

" I do try, " he said with an elaborate bow.

Renly's eye twitched furiously as he watched the blonde in front of him

" . " he bit out.

Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he folded his arm over his chest.

"Ok, Then what about that ti- "

" Okay, okay I get. you got me more times than I could count. But you better watch your back kid, because I am going to launch my counter-attack soon." He said as he stomped his way out to skin whatever Naruto had hunt today while grumbling about annoying blond brats. Although he couldn't help but let out a small smile on his face. He had to admit the brat had made their lives far more pleasant while living here. His daughter seemed happier, his wife was more cheerful as well. He himself had come to consider the boy as his own son.

Maya watched her husband leave before turning to the two kids and told them to go wash themselves so that they could eat breakfast. They complied and returned after few minutes looking fresh. Breakfast was uneventful. Apart from Naruto whining about eating vegetables and Mikasa and Maya scolding him, nothing really happened during breakfast. Everyone had their fill. Soon it was close to noon. Renly was reading some book. While Maya was teaching Mikasa how to knit.

Eventually Getting bored of just sitting around and doing nothing Naruto told them that he was going out for a bit, but would return before noon. Maya looked up to see him, " Ok, but make sure to be careful and return soon. will be visiting us for dinner and he said he will be bringing his son with him"

Naruto nodded his head before he waved Mikasa goodbye and dashed into the forest.

 **XXX**

It was sometime before he reached a secluded area in the forest. He reached the base of a big tree before settling in a meditative pose. He calmed his breathing as his body became absolutely still. He began to concentrate on himself, as he tried to reach the elusive energy that his grandfather told him about. He had been shocked when his grandfather told him that he and Mikasa descended from an ancient bloodline who wielded some strange power called chakra. Using which his ancestors were able to wield the very elements themselves. He also told him that both Mikasa and he were the last of that bloodline. He admitted that the secrets of how to wield chakra were lost a long time ago and that he himself had not succeeded in unlocking his own chakra. He also gave him three scrolls, which neither he nor his grandpa were able to open.

He stayed like that for twenty minutes before giving a frustrated sigh. It was another failed attempt. He was beginning to think what his grandfather had told him was a just a fantasy story. But that would not explain the existence of those scrolls. Sighing again he looked up to see the sun. It was close to noon. ' I better get going before Maya-san begins to get worried.' with that, he jumped to his feet and began making his way back home.

Little did he know that the events of that day will change his life forever.

 _ **Somewhere near the Ackerman residence**_

Two figures could be seen walking at a sedate pace towards the Ackerman residence. One was a fairly tall middle-aged man with black hair and a thin beard. He wore a gray suit with black vest and a white shirt. He wore round was also carrying a briefcase which contained all his medical equipment. His name was Grisha Yeager. On his left was a ten-year-old boy with brown hair and Gray eyes. He wore a green shirt and brown trousers. He also wore a black scarf around his neck. His name was Eren Yeager.

Grisha looked at his son, " Eren you are going to meet two kids your age Mikasa and Naruto at 's house."

" Mikasa? Naruto?" Eren asked in an uninterested tone.

" That's right, there aren't many children your age here, so try to get along with them."

" Okay, but that will depend on their attitude."

" Eren….. you will never make a friend with your attitude." He said as they reached the Ackerman residence.

Grisha and Eren climbed the stairs before knocking on the front door. Getting no response after trying a few more times, Grisha slowly slid the door open.

" - " his voice died in his own throat as he saw the horrible sight in front of him.

Hearing a gasp he turned around to look at Eren frozen in place, with a look of horror on his as he saw Mr& lying in a pool of their own blood.

Quickly regaining his bearings he rushed over to their bodies to check for any pulse. Sensing no pulse he sighed before noticing that Naruto and Mikasa were not there.

Quickly turning around, " Eren, Is there a little boy and girl nearby?"

Coming out of his shock, " N-no…There is no one here." he stuttered out.

He walked over to Eren, putting a hand on his shoulder, " Look Even I am going to call the police and request an investigation. You wait for me downstairs. Okay?" he said in a reassuring tone. Seeing him nod. he rushed out to call the police.

 _ **With Naruto**_

Naruto was returning home after his short trip into the forest. For some reason, he had an uneasy feeling with each step he took towards his home. He could feel it in his bones that something was going to happen. His breathing was slightly labored from the anxiety as neared his home. As soon as his house came into view he froze in his track. The deep dread that had been forming in his stomach increased. 'That smell…' he knew that smell very well. It was the smell of blood. He could see the door was slightly open. Without a second thought, he dashed towards the door before slamming it open. And what he saw there would forever haunt him in his deepest and darkest nightmares. The two people that he considered as his own father and mother were lying there dead. He saw the look of shock and despair on their faces. Their eyes once filled with warmth and love now stared at him lifeless. He stumbled back, his breathing became labored as his knees gave out under him. Tears began to form in his eyes. They were all dead. Maya, Renly, and Mikasa….He froze.  
It took a moment for him to realize that she was not present. A small glimmer of hope was born in his heart, as he prayed all gods that she was still safe. Before his expression became one of Intense hatred and Malice. He could feel the hatred burning in his heart, that promised anyone that stood in his way a horrible death. He will save Mikasa and he will kill those who killed his family. With vengeance in his heart, he dashed into the forest with unimaginable speeds.

 _ **With Mikasa**_

Mikasa shivered as she felt the cold wind brush against her skin. she was cold and hurt. Lying on a floor with her hands tied behind her back, she felt completely broken despite having no physical injuries. Just a few hours ago her life had been perfect. But now, It was completely destroyed. Her father and mother were both dead. she didn't know whether she would see Naruto ever again. She couldn't even cry. she could vaguely hear the four people in the cabin talking about selling her at the underground auction. But she didn't care. There is no place for her to return to. She had no will to live anymore.

 _ **With Naruto**_

Naruto was dashing through the forest at unimaginable speeds. It didn't take long for him to detect the trail left behind by the killers. From what he could assume there were five men the trail, he soon came upon a small cabin. His eyes narrowed. He knew the murderers were inside. As he got ready to make his move a slight movement caught his attention as he saw a boy his age slowly enter the cabin with a knife behind his back. Not wasting any time he followed the boy in silence.

Eren was scared as he entered the cabin. He slowly made his way to the front door before opening it. His eyes widened when he saw a small girl tied there lying on the floor motionless. His entrance gained the attention of the three people occupying the room.

One of the guys rushed to him as he tried to back away, " Not so fast kiddo! How did you find out about this place?" the dangerous tone in his voice made him shiver.

"H-huh.I... The forest. I got lost in the forest ….. and found this place."

"Aaaah, do you think we would believe such a poor lie kid." as he crouched down to Eren's level.

 _ **SWISH**_

The assailant dropped down clutching his throat as Eren drove his knife into his throat in a single fluid motion. "Like I care if you believe me or not, scum," he said in an emotionless voice.

The two remaining occupants screamed as they rushed at Eren to end his life.

When Naruto saw the two assailants charge at the strange boy, he knew he had to make his move now. In one fluid motion, he grabbed two throwing knives and let them fly with pinpoint accuracy.

 _ **SWISH**_

 _ **SWISH**_

Two throwing knives were thrown at such speed that it impaled the two assailants right in the throat and completely stopped their forward momentum. They fell to the ground, dead.

Without missing a single beat he rushed into the room and headed straight to Mikasa.  
Their eyes met for a second as she gasped.

" N-naruto?" She whispered in shock and relief.

He dashed forward, quickly getting his hunting knife, cutting the rope binding her arms and hugged her to his chest.

"Mikasa," he whispered in relief seeing her still alive.

It took a moment for her to realize what happened before she hugged him back with all her strength. It felt like a dam had broken as she finally let her tears fall. All her pain and sorrow came forth in a heart-wrenching cry as she sobbed into his chest. Naruto too finally let his tears fall, as he held her tight.

Snifling she looked at him with teary eyes "Naruto, Mom and Dad…."

"I know Mikasa. But I am here now. It's gonna be okay. I won't leave your side. okay?" He rubbed her back in a soothing manner. Seeing her shaky nod, he turned towards the boy who was watching them silently.

" You two must be Naruto and Mikasa. I am Eren, 's son…" He was soon interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming their way.

Naruto's head snapped in the direction of the door, before a foot smashed right above his left eye, smashing him into the wall. He cursed himself for forgetting that there were five people involved in the first place as he clutched his bleeding head in pain.

He could hear Mikasa shout his name as he stumbled back to his feet. Blood was flowing from the cut on his left eyebrow. He stumbled around trying to regain his bearing before his head was grabbed and smashed into the wall once again.

"YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS DIDN'T YOU! " The assailant shouted in rage as he lifted him by his throat and started to strangle him.

Naruto choked. He tried fighting back, but It was useless. He was too weak from getting his head smashed into a wall. All he could see was the blurry image of his soon to be killer. He struggled helplessly, but It was no use. He could feel himself slowly losing consciousness. He could vaguely see Eren was in a similar position to him as he shouted at Mikasa to fight.

Mikasa.

That single thought stopped him from giving up. He was the only family she had left. Her mother is dead, her father is dead, and she had no one left except him. He could not and would not leave her alone by dying here.

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHH…," he shouted, as blood from his is wound covered his entire face.

And then it finally happened. The moment he had been waiting, for almost four years. Power. Like a raging fire, it flowed through his veins untamed. It was unlike anything he had ever felt. He felt like he could take on the entire world right now. The world seemed to slow down around him. He could see and feel everything with utmost clarity. He felt strength rushing back to his body. Above all, he felt warm.

A single thought entered his mind.

'Chakra'

His fists tightened around his attacker's wrist completely shattering it in the process. The assailant screamed as he dropped Naruto to the floor.

Landing deftly on his feet, without missing a single beat, he spun around and kicked with all his might.

The sickening sound of bone breaking could be heard as the force of his kick literally broke his assailant's shin in two.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH..," The blood-curdling scream could be heard around the room. But Naruto was not finished. His fist soon found the face of his enemy as he broke his jaw and nose.

" DIE. YOU FUCKING SCUM, DIE."

"THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE, FOR KILLING MY FAMILY." He shouted as he continued to pound his face mercilessly. He continued to pound him until he let all his rage and hatred out of his system.

Breathing heavily, he stood up to see that Mikasa had killed the guy who was strangling Eren. He could feel a strange power radiating from Mikasa. He realized that she had unlocked her chakra as well. Walking up to her he draped his arm around her as she leaned on his side. The day's events finally catching up to her. He knew she won't be the same after this. But he would be strong for her. He would become the pillar that she could rely on when she needed the most. That is a promise of a lifetime.

It was not long before Grisha came rushing with the police force. He finally let his body relax knowing they would be safe now.

The police were shocked to see the brutal sight in front of them. " Two guys stabbed right through the throat, one slashed across the throat, one stabbed from behind straight to the heart and one guy turned into an unrecognizable pulp. And this is the work of … _these_ kids" One officer said in a fearful tone.

Dr. Yeager was scolding Eren for being reckless and willing to throw away his life so easily. But for both Mikasa and Naruto, Eren had earned their respect and eternal gratitude.

Dr. Yeager soon turned his attention to Naruto and Mikasa. Seeing his still bleeding eyebrow he cleaned the wound before stitching the wound close.

Soon night came and everyone was both mentally and physically exhausted from the day's events. It was decided that Both Naruto and Miksa would be staying at 's house.

Grisha saw the faces of the three kids standing before him. They had seen and done things that would scar them for the rest of their lives. He sighed sadly knowing that it would take some time for the kids to get over this incident. Even then he knew they could never be the same again. With that, he began leading them to shiganshina.

 _To be continued..._

 _ **Author's note:**_  
So this is my first fanfiction guys. I wanted to write a fanfiction for a long time, so I thought I would just give it a shot. Reviews are appreciated and feel free to give your opinions. I hope you like the first chapter.


	2. Fall of Shiganshina

**Maelstrom of Paradis Island**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Attack on Titan. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Hajime Isayama respectively.

 **Normal speech** : "Mikasa"  
 **Thoughts:** _'Mikasa'_

 **Author's note:** Hi again, I would like to thank everyone who favored, followed and reviewed this story. Sorry for the late update for this chapter, but the story will be updated at a much faster rate from now.

 **About the last chapter…**

 **Thor94:** Naruto won't be an average guy with untamed power. He will be prodigal, intelligent and cunning, but he won't be OP as well.

 **X-ownz:** Sorry, but I already have a set plan for the story. But don't worry Naruto and Mikasa won't be OP at all.

 **Fraxures:** Glad you enjoyed it.

 **Ezakel:** Thanks for your support.

 **Chapter two: fall of shiganshina**

 _ **Shiganshina district, Southern edge of Wall Maria.**_

It was almost six in the evening, the sun was slowly beginning to set, painting the sky a beautiful shade of reddish orange. People were going about doing their own business. Some garrison soldiers could be seen scouting and reinforcing the wall. People could be seen buying different kinds of stuff in the street. All in all, it was a regular day for the people of Shiganshina.

A single figure could be seen picking up firewood in an open field filled with some trees and plants. She had shining black hair that reached slightly below her shoulder and dark black eyes. She wore a white shirt and brown skirt that reached up to her feet. She also had a green gem necklace around her neck. A black scarf wrapped around her neck protected her from the cold evening breeze. Her name was Mikasa Ackerman.

Life had not been easy for her the past year. She still got nightmares about the events of _that_ day. The day she witnessed the murder of her parents, the day Naruto and Eren killed her kidnappers and almost died in the process, the day she realized the cruelty of the world they lived in. It was also the day she unlocked a mysterious power called chakra. She knew something happened to her before she killed the assailant holding Eren, but was not sure what is was until Naruto explained it to her. Needless to say, she was shocked, her surprise only doubled when Naruto explained to her about the three scrolls. But they were of no use right now as they still didn't know how to open them. The events of that day had left her depressed for a long time but she gradually got over the deaths of her parents with a great deal of support from both Naruto and Eren.

And speaking of Eren, over the year Eren had become the little brother figure for her. And her feelings for Naruto only grew stronger as time went by. She wondered how he remained strong when she knew he was affected by her parent's death as much as her. But he had remained strong for her, cheering her up when she got too depressed and encouraging her to move forward. Eren's mom Carla treated her with kindness as well. Naruto, Eren, Grisha and Eren's mother Carla were the ones that saved her from her loneliness. They were her family now. The world was cruel. Yes. But the happy moments she spent with her family proved that the world was also beautiful. She would do anything to keep her family together like they were now.

Mikasa looked up after picking up enough firewood, to see Eren lying under a tree sleeping. She sighed. Honestly, he could be so lazy one moment and instantly turn hyperactive the next. Eren and Naruto were so similar in some aspects that she had to wonder whether they really were brothers. They could both be stubborn and both of them had this ridiculous desire to see the outside world. She did not like the fact that they both wished to join the scouts. In one year they would be eligible to join the training corps. She was not about to let that happen. She decided she had to do something to stop them from joining the training corps.

Looking up at the sky, seeing it was getting dark, she began to trudge over to Eren, carrying the firewood on her back.

She poked him with a stick, "Eren wake up. We are getting back home. It's gonna get dark soon."

Feeling something poking him in the face, he slowly opened his eyes to see Mikasa staring at him with a blank look on her face. His eyes were glazed over and he seemed pretty out of it. " …uh?…Mikasa your hair…it has gotten longer hasn't it?"

Staring at him with a strange look on her face, she decided not to respond to his stupid question. It was not the first time he had spouted such nonsense after waking up. " just get back okay?. It's getting dark." she said in a tired tone before her eyes widened when she saw tears running down his cheeks, " What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

" Huh?… what do you mean?" He said as he reached up to feel tears running down his cheeks. Flushing in embarrassment, he quickly wiped away his tears before walking ahead of her hastily, Mikasa following behind him.

Soon they reached the streets of Shiganshina district. " Mikasa, don't tell anyone about this okay?. They don't need to know I have been crying….especially Naruto" he grumbled he last part under his breath, but she heard him clearly, causing her to giggle.

"Mikasaaa... I am serious. Don't tell him about this. He wouldn't let me hear the end of it." He whined

Seeing the pitiful expression on his face she relented " Okay…okay, I won't. But why were you crying for no reason at all?" She was curious to know why he was crying. After all, nobody cried without a reason. But unfortunately, his response was cut short, when Hannes, a garrison soldier overheard their conversation and decided to have some fun with Eren. He was slightly drunk as the smell of alcohol reeked from him.

"Oh! What have you been crying about Eren?. Did you beat get beat up by some kids….again?" He laughed and three other soldiers behind him joined in on the laugh.

Gaining a tick mark on his forehead, "I don't get beat up anymore Hannes-san. In fact, they flee the moment they see me." He said in a smug tone. Mikasa rolled her eyes, although what he said was true. Naruto had taught him how to fight a few months ago.

The smug look was soon replaced with a frown when the smell of booze hit his nose. Looking behind Hannes, he saw three other soldiers sitting on small wooden boxes with a bottle of alcohol in their hands.

Mikasa saw the look of look irritation on Eren's face and knew what was about to happen. But much to her surprise, he didn't yell at Hannes or the garrison soldiers. Instead, he just gritted his teeth and started to walk back home, leaving a surprised Mikasa and Hannes.

Shaking away her surprise, she ran to catch up to him. " I thought you were going to yell at them for being so irresponsible?" she asked as she caught up with him.

Looking at her with slight irritation, " I am just tired of telling these people to be responsible and ready when the titans attack us."

Sighing at him," Eren, the wall is 50 meters high. No titan can breach it. The wall is unbreachable." She said.

His head whipped around to meet her face with a surprised expression," What?! Don't tell me you are supporting Hannes and the garrison soldiers in this matter. Just because the wall had not been breached for 100 years doesn't mean It can't be breached. As long as the titans exist the threat is always there. As long as the titans exist we will continue to live in humiliation like caged cattle." He yelled at her, his face turning red from anger.

Mikasa flinched slightly at his anger but stayed silent because he did say some valid points.

" The scouts are the ones who are doing the right thing. That is why I am gonna join them after I complete my training." He said.

This time Mikasa did snap back at him. " Eren, both you and Naruto will not be joining the scouts. So you better forget about your fantasy dreams," she said in a sharp tone.

Her words only seemed to make him angrier. " Don't tell me what to do! Okay?. Why can't you and mom understand that Naruto and I want to join the scouting regimen? We want to see the outside world. we don't want to live like cattle inside walls. why can't you understand that this means a lot to us and you cant change our minds on this matter? Do you even understand how we feel? Do you even care about the feelings of the people you call family." He instantly regretted saying the last sentence as he was forcefully shoved against a wall by Mikasa, firewood scattering everywhere. He gasped when he saw the look in her eyes. Her cold black eyes seemed to pierce his very soul.

" I do care. That is why I don't want you guys to through away your lives by becoming titan food." She said in a cold tone before resuming her walk home, her mood completely ruined.

Eren flinched at her tone. He felt bad for saying such harsh words to her. Now he felt like a jerk. Regaining his composure he caught up with her. " M-mikasa…. I am sorry okay. I didn't mean to sound like a jerk." He said in an apologetic tone.

Sparing him a glance, she just grunted before resuming her walk.

" Oh, come on Mikasa don't be too hard on him. we all know he is a dimwit." a voice spoke, startling both of them.

" EEK! " Mikasa shrieked, before blushing a bright shade of red from embarrassment.

 _'Where did he come from?'_ she taught as Naruto looked at her with a small grin on her face. There were some notable changes in his appearance. He had grown his hair out, reaching just up to his chin, a few bangs covering his left eye. It covered the slight scar on his left eyebrow. He had grown a few inches as well. His Purple-blue eyes were not as bright as they once used to be and he was not as goofy as he used to be as well. He still makes jokes and makes everyone laugh but he was not the same as he once was. His golden blond hair mixed with some red hair seemed to glow a little as it reflected the sun's rays. He wore a brown full sleeve shirt with his sleeves rolled up and grey pants and a sleeveless grey jacket over his shirt. He had a belt around his hip which contained his knives and the three scrolls. All in all, Mikasa thought he looked great.

Eren didn't know whether to be happy that he saved him from an angry Mikasa or pissed that he called him a dimwit. He decided to keep his mouth shut.

Mikasa's eyebrows started to twitch," Naruto don't do that!" she huffed as she tried to regain her composure," And don't think you can save Eren this time. I am not gonna forgive him that easy." she bit out.

Naruto's reply was cut off when the watchtower bell rang, alerting them that the scouts were returning from their expedition.

" It's the scouts, the heroes have returned. Let's go see them." Eren said in an excited voice as he dashed to the front wall gate, with Naruto and Mikasa following him.

They reached the front gates to see a lot of people gathered on either side of the street to look at the returning scouts. All three children stiffened when they saw the condition the scouts were in. Just this morning the scouts had gone out on an expedition with more than 100 people and now there were less than 20 remaining. Even among the 20, there were many severely injured. Some missing an arm and some missing a leg. It was a sight that made their stomachs turn. Naruto could hear the citizens cursing the scouts for wasting their tax money and accomplishing nothing in return. Naruto had to wonder whether these guys even knew what they were talking about. The situation got even more heart wrenching when an old lady came to the commander of the scouts asking for her son, only to be informed that he was dead. Seeing the old woman cry for her dead son felt like someone just stabbed his heart with a knife. It was only made worse when he said that the death of her son meant nothing as the expedition was a failure.

Naruto watched with wide eyes as the scene played out before him. This was the first time he had seen the scouts returning from an expedition. And the sight showed him the amount of danger that existed outside the walls. It showed him how lucky he and the others were to live inside the walls. But it also raised a lot of questions within him. What if the wall was breached?. Can we survive something like that?. If the scouting regimen, the regimen most experienced in fighting Titans cannot handle them, how can the garrison and the military police fight them? His mind was running a mile, visualizing a scenario where the wall was indeed breached. And no matter how hard he thought, he came to the same conclusion in the end. They would not survive a wall breach, not in the current state they were in. And this realization filled him with unease.

It was not long before all three of them started their trudge back home, each with their own thoughts in their heads.

 **XXX**

 _ **Yaeger residence**_

A soft humming sound could be heard inside the house as a woman in her Mid-thirties was washing dishes in the kitchen. Her name was Carla Yaeger. She had brown hair and green eyes. She wore a cream-colored sweater with frilled sleeves and a long red skirt with a white apron. She was waiting for the three children to return home. Her husband was sitting in his chair reading some book. she looked out the window and saw it was getting dark. Just as she was starting to wonder why the children haven't returned yet, the door of the house opened revealing Naruto, Eren and Mikasa entering the house.

" We're home," Eren said in a neutral tone.

Grisha noticed the troubled look on their faces but didn't comment on it. " Welcome home." He said with a small smile.

Carla frowned but decided not to ask anything right now. The three went to clean themselves up before joining Carla and Grisha at the table to eat some snacks.

An awkward silence began to settle down in the family of five. But neither of the three children seemed to notice it as they were too wrapped up in their own thoughts. Naruto was thinking about ways to open the scrolls and Mikasa was thinking about how to stop Naruto and Eren from joining the scouting legion.

The silence seemed to stretch before Carla slammed her palm on the table, not being able to take the tension anymore,"Okay, what is - "

" Eren and Naruto want to join the scouting legion." Mikasa blurted out, causing Carla's eyes to widen while Grisha concealed his surprise well.

" Mikasa! I told you to keep it quiet!" Even shouted with a betrayed look on his face, while Naruto just kept quiet. Although from the look on his face you could see that he was not happy.

Mikasa winced from the look on their faces But didn't back down.

Carla exploded from her seat, her chair falling behind her, She had a look of anger and fear on her face. Forcefully grabbing by his shoulder, " what are you thinking? Do you have any idea how many people that go outside the wall die." She shouted, before directing her glare towards Naruto, " No one from this house is going to join the scouts!. Is that clear?."

Naruto turned his head away refusing to meet her eyes. He felt both touched and slightly irritated at the same time. He felt touched that she cared about his well being. She was the same as Mikasa's mother in that regard. Both saw him as their own son and he felt grateful for that. But he had already made up his mind. He was about to reply when Eren beat him to the punch.

" You can't tell us what to do! I am gonna join the scouts and you can't change my mind!" he shouted at her. she was taken aback by his tone before her eyes narrowed in anger.

" Eren." Grisha voice cut through the shouting like a knife, and just like that, he had everyone's attention. He had a very serious expression on his face, one that was not seen very often. " Why do you want to go outside the walls?" His voice not betraying any of his emotions.

Looking him in the eye," I wanna know what's going on outside. I'd hate to live my entire life inside the walls as an ignorant." Before his eyes hardened with determination, " For a lot of years the scouts have been fighting the Titans and I know that thousands of scouts have died. But if No one wants to pick up from where they left off… All the people who laid down their lives for the sake of humanity would be in vain. So that is why I want to join the scouts." He finished looking straight into Grisha's eyes.

All that greeted him was silence before Grisha broke it,

" I see, The ship will be here soon. I'll be on my way. " He said, his lips curling up slightly into a smile as he stood up taking his briefcase and started to make his way out.

Carla looked shocked at her husband's action, " W-wait Honey!… Talk some sense in him." she pleaded with him.

Holding back a sigh Grisha looked at his wife," Carla…. when somebody's on a quest there is no such thing as talking them down." He said before turning his attention to Eren.

" Eren … when I get back, there is that room in the basement which I have always kept a secret. I'll show it to you."

" Really! You will really show it to me!?" He asked, excited at the prospect of learning what his father had kept secret. Naruto was curious to know what's I the basement as well.

" Yes, Eren. I'll show you what's in the basement." He said with a small smile on his face before left the house.

There was a moment of awkward silence before," Eren, Naruto, I insist it's not happening. Only a fool would join the scouts."

" Huh?… A fool? As far as I am concerned, People who live inside the wall cooped up like cattle are ten times sillier." He shouted, his voice raising higher with every word he spoke before he ran away completely upset with his mother.

Naruto winced when he saw the look of hurt on her face. He did not like Eren being rude to Carla. He seemed to take his mother's affection for granted. As someone who grew up without both parents, Naruto cherished the motherly love shown by both Maya and Carla. He yearned for it. That was one of the reasons why he never went against their words. He always obeyed them. But he had already made up his mind on this matter.

Carla turned to Naruto to convince him but was cut off when Naruto hugged her. She was momentarily taken aback by his sudden show of affection, but Quickly regained her composure and wrapped her arms around him.

" Narut- "she began but was once again cut off by him.

" Carla-san, I know you worry about our safety, but you can't change our minds on this matter." He said in a soft tone.

Seeing that she still had a conflicted look on her face he continued, " Besides we are still not twelve yet. we don't want to spend the next year always arguing with each other. Also It is not like Eren will be all alone, I'll be there to help him when he gets into trouble." He reassured her.

" Besides do you really think that we would die so easily. It would take a lot more than Titans to kill us." He said in a confident tone, although, he was not so sure on the inside.

Looking at Naruto, Carla sighed, he was always like this, trying to take responsibility for everything, always trying to make her happy," Naruto, you don't need to look after Eren all the time. He needs to be able to take care of himself and stop being reckless all the time. I only want you to help him grow up into a more mature and level-headed person." she said in a kind tone.

"I promise, I will." He said as he broke away from the hug.

" Now go find him, before gets himself into any trouble," she said with a small smile on her face, as he nodded his head and left with Mikasa to find Eren.

 **XXX**

Naruto and Mikasa caught up to Eren scaring off some kids bullying their friend Armin. Armin was a short boy with a round feminine face. He had blond hair, with bob style haircut. He had large expressive hazel eyes. He wore a long sleeved brown shirt and grey pants. He was a timid boy with a frail physique and was frequently picked on by other kids. He was also Eren's best friend. Much like Eren, he had a deep fascination for the world beyond the walls. He was the one who showed Eren the illegal books about the outside world owned by his grandfather.

Naruto frowned when he saw the slightly teary-eyed Armin. He didn't hate the boy, but his timid character and inability to stand up on his own irritated him sometimes. The boy was overly reliant on both Eren and Mikasa to defend him. Naruto knew this could cause a lot of problems in the future. Naruto could see that Armin valued his friendship with both Eren and Mikasa very seriously. He could see that Armin had the desire to prove himself worthy of their friendship, but he never put his thoughts into action. He was still reliant on them and that ticked Naruto off a lot.

Mikasa saw the frown on Naruto's face but decided not to comment on it. The relationship between Naruto and Armin was not a very close one. They were acquaintances at best. Naruto sees Armin as someone who could not stand up for himself, while Armin sees Naruto as someone who has all the qualities he himself wanted to have. He was strong, smart, skillful, and confident, everything he wanted to be. So he was a bit jealous of him.

" Look at them, scurrying away like rats with the mere sight of me," Eren told in a smug tone as he watched the bullies running away from them. He had to admit learning how to fight from Naruto was the best thing he ever did. These cowardly bullies were scared of him since he beat them up. He gave Armin a hand to stand up.

" Yeah Eren those guys are scared of you now," he said with a smile as he reached out to grab his hand when he noticed Naruto and Mikasa arrive. He winced when he saw the frown on Naruto's face.

"I don't need help to stand up Eren." He said as he stood up on his own.

" Uhm… Are you okay?" Even asked in a confused tone.

"Yes, don't worry about me." He said with a reassuring smile.

Accepting his friend's words Eren turned around to see Naruto and Mikasa and greeted them with a wave. Armin did the same with Mikasa and gave a nod to Naruto which he returned.

And with that, they made their way towards a nearby lake where they usually spent their time in the evenings.

 **XXX**

Naruto, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin were sitting near a lake just talking about random things. Mikasa sat to the left of Naruto while Eren and Armin were to his right.

" So why were those guys bullying you again?" Eren asked curious to know why his friend was bullied.

" I told them Humankind would need to go outside the walls someday. That's when they started hitting me, calling me a heretic." He said in a depressed tone.

Eren gritted his teeth in anger," Dammit, You get looked down upon just for mentioning you'd like to get out. The people inside walls are fools, just like my nagging mother." He said before he fell on his face as Naruto swatted him on the back of his head.

Quickly getting back up, " Oi! What the hell was that for!?" He shouted but, flinched when Naruto's eyes narrowed and his face twisted in anger. Even Armin and Mikasa were a little surprised, as Naruto never got angry at Eren.

" Eren, I am telling you, you take a lot of things for granted and think people who don't agree with you are fools. But guess what they are not fools. And Carla-san is the farthest thing from a fool." His voice rising with everyword he spoke.

Mikasa immediately understood why he was getting angry and knew the situation could get ugly if Eren didn't choose his words with caution. Her eyes met with Amin and she knew he had come to the same conclusion as well.

But Even being the hothead he was, couldn't keep his mother shut. " What do you mean? She keeps telling us that the scouts are fools for going outside. She obviously doesn't understand why they risk their lives. She is no different from all the ungrateful people living inside this wall." He shouted before his breathing hitched as a small amount of killing intent escaped out of Naruto. It felt like a boulder was dropped on his shoulder, as he stood frozen in his spot. He could see Naruto's muscles tensing up to lash out at him, but luckily Mikasa was there to save him.

"NARUTO!" she shouted, yanking him by his arm. She had sensed his chakra raising when Eren was speaking and knew he was going to lash out.

Realising he had almost lost his temper he took a deep breath to calm himself down," It's okay Mikasa you can let go of me now." She looked at him for a second before releasing his arm.

" N-naruto…" Eren began but stopped when Naruto turned to look at him, his eyes a lot softer now.

" I just hope you don't regret always fighting and arguing with your mother. I am going back home. See you guys later." He said before he started to walk away.

Mikasa watched him with slight worry before turning towards Eren with a glare, this day was not going well for him.

" Eren, you need to watch how you talk to him when it comes to your mother. The next time I won't be here to save you from getting your ass kicked," she said, with Armin nodding from the side. You don't raise your voice against someone who could drop you on your ass in seconds. He shivered from the feeling of dread that enveloped him just seconds ago. It further strengthened his belief that Uzumaki Naruto is not someone to be messed with. But he also noticed that there was something strange about Mikasa and Naruto. Armin may be timid, but he had one of the sharpest minds. He was a lot more perceptive than others might think. From the moment he met those two, he knew they were somehow different. He didn't know how they were different but something in his mind told him that they were. He would have to observe them more closely.

" I am leaving," Mikasa said as she went after Naruto.

" W-wait Mikasa…" Eren said as he rushed after he, with Armin following him.

 **XXX**

Naruto stopped when he felt the three coming from behind. He looked behind to see Eren, who had an apologetic look on his face," L-look Naruto I am sorry okay? I didn't mean yell at you." He said.

Naruto Sighed, he was not in the mood to speak with him. He was about to tell him to leave him alone, when a huge explosion shook the place, sending them to the ground.

 **BA-KRAM**

A loud crack of lightning shot from the sky outside the front gate, followed by a bright flash of light bending almost everyone.

Recovering quickly, all four children dashed towards the front gate where they knew the lightning struck. Dashing around the corner of the street, they came to a stop to see a lot of people gathering to see the smoke raising outside the front gate.

They slid to a stop, panting slightly, their heart beating rapidly, a feeling of dread began to form on the pit of their stomachs, when a giant muscular arm rose, grabbing the edge of the wall, followed by a massive head, raising well above the 50-meter wall.

Naruto's blood ran cold as his worst nightmare came true. He felt Mikasa and Eren gasp. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Armin shaking on the ground, his eyes filled with terror.

" I-it's T-them…. The Titans…" Eren said, his voice shaking with unconcealed fear.

Mikasa was in the same state as him as she stared at the 60-foot monster that stood over them, Looking at them as if they were mere ants waiting to be slaughtered. Her breathing quickened as she began to panic. All the times when Naruto and Eren told her that the walls could not protect them forever flashed through her mind. she never took them seriously, thinking they were just being paranoid. But as she stood frozen in fear staring at reality, she knew they were right. They had been right all along. There was no way the garrison could fight the 60-foot monster standing in front of them. Before she could even think what to do,

 **BOOOOMMM**

Another huge explosion rang out front the front gate, sending huge rocks and debris smashing through houses and crushing people to death. The shockwave rattled their bodies and blew them away, oliberating everything in its path. Mikasa screamed as her knees scraped against the ground, her body tumbling across the cobblestones. Gritting her teeth, she stumbled back to her feet and looked around. And what she saw made her heart stop. there was carnage everywhere. she saw a lot of people literally crushed below boulders. Adults, elderly people and even children were not spared. People were shouting in panic and running for their lives. Then she saw it. A hole. A fifteen feet hole in the wall. A single titan entered through the hole, it's eyes narrow, it's mouth gawping wide. She lost all hope when she saw a horde of titans followings its example and enter the wall. Hearing a scream she turned to her side and gasped as she saw Naruto bleeding from a piece of wood buried in his thigh. She noticed that Eren and Armin were a short distance away from him, getting back up.

" Naruto!" she shouted as she rushed over to him.

Pain. That was what he felt. Naruto gritted his teeth to prevent a cry of pain. He cursed as he saw the chaos surrounding him. He could not believe this is happening. The wall had been breached. Everyone was getting slaughtered, and devoured. He could see some garrison soldiers running away afraid to face the beasts that were about to kill everyone in the district.

Seeing their cowardly act made his blood boil. He remembered all the times he saw these soldiers spending their days getting drunk and playing cards and talking shit to Eren and him when they told them to be more responsible. _' Cowards. They are all fucking cowards. Didn't these fuckers take a vow to protect the citizens with their lives.'_ No this cannot be the end. He still had a lot of things to do with his life. He will not allow it to end here.

" I-t's over….. the wall is breached… we are all going to die here." Armin cried as tears streamed down his cheeks.

 _' I have no time for this'_

" ARMIN! Get a grip! You are not dead yet. Go find your grandpa and head to the ship." Naruto shouted.

Seeing him still hesitant, he finally snapped

"GO! NOW!" His anger boiling to the surface. Armin instantly obeyed dashing away to find his grandfather.

"Our house is in the direction where the debris landed….. Mom!" Eren shouted as he ran towards their house.

Naruto cursed, as he ran after Eren, Mikasa quickly following him. He prayed that Carla had already escaped and was not hit by any of the debris. But his prayers went answered when he saw their destroyed house.

"CARLA-SAN / MOM!."

Naruto frantically began to look for Carla and found her lying on the ground with her lower body crushed by the remains of the house." Oh God! Carla-san!. EREN COME HERE AND HELP BE REMOVE THE RUBBLE!" He shouted in panic. He could see that she was bleeding. Her legs were probably crushed under the rubble. He choked back a sob when he saw the state she was in. Why did this have to happen? They were happy just a few hours ago. Now his world had turned upside down once again. It reminded him of that night. There was no way he was going to letter her die here. He would save her if that is the last thing he did.

"Mom!" Eren shouted, hot tears rolling down his face as she saw her buried under the rubble.

" Cry later! Now help me get this rubble off. We have to get her out of here! Mikasa, You pull her out when we lift the rubble!" He yelled in frustration and panic.

Carla woke up to see Naruto and Even to lift the rubble off of her., "Naruto, the Titans… They are back aren't they?" her voice weak from the blood loss.

" Yes! And we are getting to port as soon as we get you out of this." He gritted out, as he struggled to move the rubble. Seeing them struggle, Mikasa joined them in lifting it, but it was no use. It was simply too heavy for them.

" Come on! It's too heavy ….. GODAMMIT!." Naruto yelled in frustration.

Carla looked at her struggling children. she could see their hands bleeding as the sharp edges of the rubble cut into their palms. " Naruto you have to take Eren and Mikasa to the port now!"

" I will, but you are coming with us!" he shouted back, as the rubble finally moved a little.

" Listen, my legs are crushed. Even if you get me out of this, I cant walk! I would only slow you down!"

" Then I'll carry you!" Shouted Eren.

" Why can't you just listen to me!?" she shouted in despair. She knew all three children would die if they stayed any longer.

 **Booom**

His heart pounding Naruto glanced up to see a titan standing there in a distance, eyes narrow, it's mouth gawping wide. Beside her, Eren and Mikasa gasped. Had it seen them?

 **"Graaaaaaaah!"**

It had.

Slowly, then with increasing speed, it began to pound after them. the ground shaking with every step it took.

"No!, no, no, no, no… come on! we have to hurry !" Naruto shouted as they managed to move the roof from her leg. But they still had a lot of pillars to remove.

' come on! Come on!' As they continued removing the rubbles as quick as possible.

Then, as if the Lord himself answered their prayers, they saw someone that could help them, "Hannes! Thank god! Come on hurry up and help us get her out" They shouted, as they continued to remove the pillars.

" Hannes! Take the children and get them to the port." Carla begged in desperation as she felt the titan nearing their position.

Hannes smiled confidently," Come on, don't underestimate me, Carla! I'll kill that titan and save everyone." He said in a confident tone, as he took off to face the titan.

 _' Yes, this way I'll be able to repay the debt to the Yaeger family'_ he thought, as he drew his blade to slay the titan before him, but he froze and slid to a stop when he came face to face with the titan. It's face frozen in a manic smile as it looked down at him. His resolve faltered almost instantly as his legs began shaking.

 _'No, there is no way I could fight that thing'_ He felt like a complete coward, but there was no way he was fighting that thing. Sheathing his blades, he turned around and rushed towards Eren and Mikasa and picked them up before they could even process what was happening,

" Naruto lets go! We cant fight that thing!" he shouted as he continued running.

Naruto stood there, rooted to his spot. It only took a moment for him to realize what had happened as his expression turned from shocked to murderous in seconds. _This bastard_. He had chickened out at the last second. This so-called soldier, trained to fight the titans just lost his resolve, the moment he caught sight of one. _Pathetic._ As far as Naruto was concerned Hannes was a piece of shit.

Regardless, he was not gonna let Carla behind here. Turning around, he saw the titan had almost reached Carla. He knew at that moment the only way to save her was to somehow take down the titan. Steeling his nerves, he pumped chakra into his feet and blasted off towards the man-eating monster.

"Ha-Hannes! What do you think you're doing!?" Even shouted as he struggled against his grip.

Mikasa snapped out of her daze and kicked Hannes right in the knee, sending both him and Eren tumbling to the floor as she landed gracefully on her feet, before she blasted off towards Naruto, the ground caving from the amount of chakra applied to her feet.

Naruto sensed Mikasa nearing him, his mind running a mile, processing every possible option and plan to get out of this situation.

" Mikasa! remove the remaining pillars, while I distract the titan!" His voice firm, leaving no room for argument and she obeyed instantly and rushed to save Carla.

" Naruto! Mikasa! what do you think you are doing!? Just hurry up and run away." Carla desperately shouted as she saw Naruto dash towards the titan.

She got no reply, as Mikasa continued to remove the pillars.

" Hey! Look here you piece of shit!" Naruto shouted as he picked up a sharp stone and let it lose. It whizzed through the air striking the titan's eye.

"Graaaaaahhh." it roared as it swung its arm forcing Naruto to roll to his left or be turned into a paste. His eyes widened when he saw the ground explode from the swing. He had to be careful here. One mistake and he would be crushed to death.

He risked a glance to his right to see Mikasa remove the second pillar but instantly cursed as he was nearly killed by a harsh swing from the titan, this one far faster than before

 _"Okay calm down Naruto, you just have to stall for just a bit more."_ He thought as he unsheathed his hunting knife.

Naruto knew he was lucky that this was slow. He gripped his knife hard as he saw the titan going in for another swipe. Just as the hand was about to crush him he jumped high and landed on the hand and stabbed it with all his strength. Then without missing a step, he pumped a huge amount of chakra into his leg as he dashed along the titan's arm with his knife still buried into its flesh as he felt the searing burning blood of the titan hit his face. He gritted his teeth as the titan didn't seem to be affected at all and his hand was beginning to hurt from the stress.' _shit'_ His eyes widened when he saw the titan raise its hand to its face, mouth opening to devour him alive. Thinking quickly he let go of his knife and drew two throwing knives from his pouch and let them loose into its eye from point blank range.

 **SQUELCH**

"Graaaaaaah!" This did get a reaction, as the titan stumbled backward. Quickly removing his knife, he jumped onto a pillar which still stood and slid down, to reach the ground just in time to see Mikasa screaming at him, with Carla leaning against her for support.

" Naruto! I got her out. we gotta go now!", seeing the titan had not recovered yet, he knew this was their chance to get away and rushed towards Mikasa.

He saw Carla looking at him in shock but he ignored her. They were not out of danger yet,  
" Mikasa! place her on my back! Hurry!" he shouted as he could see the titan regaining its bearing.

Placing her on his back, he stumbled a little under her weight but he held strong." Come on, we're leaving!" He yelled as Mikasa nodded and took off with him.

Naruto sent a death glare to Hannes who was staring at Naruto in shock and a good amount of fear. Eren was looking at him with a mixture shock, relief and something else he couldn't quite place.

But soon his eyes widened when he saw the injured titan accidentally strike a piece of wood which flew straight at Naruto,

" Naruto watch out!" he yelled, but it was too late as the wooden piece struck his injured thigh, sending him and Carla scraping into the stone road. Carla screamed in pain as her already damaged body took more damage. Naruto dazed from impact stumbled up quickly, only to watch in horror as the huge feet of the titan landed on Carla crushing her lower half completely, turning it into a pulp.

"NOOO!" He screamed in horror as his eyes met the pain filled eyes of Carla. He could see the life fading from her eyes.

He saw her hands reaching up to him," Na-naruto.." before the titan stepped on her, silencing her forever.

Naruto fell on his back as the world seemed to stop around him. He could hear Eren's Heart-wrenching cry of agony. ' _This is not happening'_. His mind refused to accept the truth, desperately wishing this was all a dream he would wake up from, but he knew this is the reality.

Seeing the children freeze up, Hannes acted quickly" Naruto! Snap out of it! she wanted you guys to live!" His desperate shouting snapped the kids out of their state of despair, as the group took advantage of the titan's momentary distraction to escape.

While running the group couldn't help but watch as people around them died and the titans enjoying the onslaught like a game. There was wreckage and carnage all around them as the town was burning, but no one cared, the death of Carla still fresh in their mind. So they ran, as hard and as fast as their legs could carry, chest heaving and hitching for breath, but they didn't stop. They kept running till they reached the port.

They saw thousands of people desperately trying to get on to a boat, some falling into the water and some getting crushed and killed. Hannes quickly escorted them through the crowd and towards the boat,"Hey guys! please, let these kids enter the boat " Hannes asked his allies who gasped at the state the children were in.

" Dear lord! Hey let the children go through!" one of the recruits yelled as they helped them get into the boat.

 **XXX**

Naruto collapsed near the boat's railing with Mikasa following suite on his right, the physical and mental strain catching up to them. He looked to his left to see Eren staring blankly at his hand. He was worried about him as he had yet to speak a single word after that incident. He could literally feel the turmoil of Emotions raging inside Eren. But he knew any words from him would only cause him to lash out.

 _'Our house is no more, My mom is no more, I could never go back home again.'_ Reality finally catching up to Eren.

 _" You take a lot of things for granted Eren. I just hope you won't regret always fighting and arguing with your mother."_ Naruto's words came to his mind. He clenched his fist, shutting his eyes close as a shuddering sob finally escaped him, _'Even in the end all I could do was argue with her.'_ He lamented, regret and guilt welling up inside him.

 _Why? How did it end up like this? Because we humans are weak? So a weakling's only option is to weep and wail?!_ His eyes narrowed, his face twisting into a look of intense hatred as tears streamed down his face.

" I'll wipe them out." He muttered gaining Naruto and Mikasa's attention.

Standing up, he grabbed the railing, his eyes facing the now destroyed city," I'll erase them from this world, every single one of them." He said as the boat started moving towards wall Rose.

The last thing they saw before their view was obstructed was The Armoured Titan smashing through the back wall of Shiganshina, thus breaching wall Maria completely.

Naruto and Mikasa watched as the armored titan created havoc and death. As they watched their home burn to the ground , as they heard the screams of people getting eaten alive, they realized that no place was safe from the Titans anymore. They came to the same conclusion as Eren. _'We have to exterminate the Titans…..every single one of them.'_

 _To be continued…_

Author's note:

So, I was really conflicted on whether to let Carla live or follow the manga and let her die. In the end, I decided to let her die because her death is the main drive for Eren to exterminate the Titans and I didn't want to take that away. It also gives more reason for Naruto and Mikasa to join the scouts. Hope you like this chapter and reviews are appreciated as usual.


	3. Purpose

**Maelstrom of Paradis Island**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Attack on Titan. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Hajime Isayama respectively.

 **Normal speech:** "Mikasa"  
 **Thoughts:** 'Mikasa'

 ** _Author's note:_** Hi again, I would like to thank everyone who favored, followed and reviewed this story. Chapter three: Purpose

 _ **About the last chapter…**_

 **Agrave:** Yes, Naruto and Mikasa will be the only ones to have chakra.

 _A week after the fall of Shiganshina …_

It had been seven days since the people of Shiganshina reached wall Rose and took refugee in a food storage area. Not surprisingly, they were not welcomed with open arms, the sudden influx of people causing a shortage of food for everyone. Since then the Garrison soldiers were assigned to distribute supplies for the refugees.

Dull purple-blue eyes stared at the sunset, the sky painted a beautiful shade of orange, a sight that could soothe anyone of their worries. But it did nothing to calm the emotions raging within him. The image of Carla's hands reaching up for him before she was crushed refused to leave his mind. Guilt and a feeling of helplessness battered his spirit relentlessly. His gaze shifted to the giant wall looming a short distance away from him, A wall which once provided a sense of security to everyone, but right now it was just a structure standing there without any purpose. He wondered how his life had turned out like this. The happy times he had spent with his family, running around hunting and pranking others without any worry felt like a distant memory now. The things he saw in Shiganshina on that fateful day made him feel something he had never felt before. Fear. Fear of the Titans. Fear for his and his friends' survival. Naruto at his core was a hunter. He had always been the predator his prey were afraid of. And for the first time in his life, he felt the roles were reversed when it came to the Titans. That simple fact left him questioning everything he had previously believed in. Doubts began to creep into his mind concerning his and humanity's strength in fighting the Titans.

The sound of bell tolling shook him out of his thoughts. He watched with dead eyes as people started gathering to receive their rations. People of all ages, children, women, elderly, stood in line to receive food for their survival.

Hearing footsteps approaching, he glanced to his right and squinted his eyes to see Mikasa standing with a loaf of bread in her hand. How she got that, he had no idea but he didn't dwell on it too much. " Naruto, you need to eat." the worried voice of his friend reached his ears.

" I'm not hungry." His tone bland, devoid of any life as he stared at some people fighting for food. He couldn't blame them since food was very scarce inside the wall.

Mikasa frowned at her oldest friend. He had isolated himself from everyone and barely ate anything. His face was pale with dark circles under his eyes due to the lack sleep. Her previous attempts to raise his spirits had only met with failure. Knowing anymore attempt on her part would only cause him to lash out, she did the only thing she could do at that moment. Walking up to him she silently sat down beside him. No words were spoken but she knew he appreciated her presence from the way his body relaxed a little.

The two stayed like that for a while before Naruto noticed that she was still holding the loaf of bread,

" You don't have to stay hungry for me." his hoarse voice shook her out of her thoughts.

"I'm not hungry," she said, not wanting to admit she was starving.

GROWL

She cursed in her mind as her stomach chose that moment to betray her. She blushed a little when Naruto looked at her with a raised eyebrow,"Really?" he asked her in a disbelieving tone as she fidgeted under his gaze.

" I'm. not. hungry." she repeated, her voice a little louder to emphasize her point.

"Oh, I believe you." Sarcasm dripped from every word he spoke causing her to huff in annoyance

" I'm serious. I'm not hungry." She turned her head away from him to hide her embarrassment.

A small smile graced his lips as he saw his friend's pitiful attempt to hide her embarrassment. But it left as soon as it came as Mikasa's next statement caught him completely off guard.

"You're afraid," she said. It was not a question but a statement as he looked at him with sharp eyes, daring him to disagree with her.

" W-what? What are you talking about?" He stuttered, as he tried to avoid the subject.

Her eyes softened a little before she spoke," You can't-fool me, Naruto. I see it in your eyes, they don't have the same confidence as they once did. And I can see you are feeling responsible for Carla-san's death." Her eyes tearing up a little as she gazed at him with worry.

" I-i …" Naruto didn't know what to say, He was shocked she could read him like an open book. The sheer amount of worry on her face shook him to the core. He clenched his fist and shut his eyes as the turmoil of emotions he had kept locked away began to surface again. Rage, terror, agony, sadness, and a feeling of utter helplessness all began to attack him at the same time. His body shook, as he said in a choked voice,

"I-i should have saved her. I was too wea-"

"Stop it! " the steel in her voice stopped him from saying anymore as he looked at her with slightly widened eyes.

Closing the distance between them she took his hand in hers,

" It was not your fault. If anything the Titans are to blame. You can't sit here wasting your life feeling afraid and guilty when there are people who depend on you, Naruto." she said in a firm tone.

"B-but..but…"

"I don't like seeing you like this," she whispered as she looked him in the eye,

"You always told me the moment you start doubting yourself is the moment you have given up all hope. You are the one who told me to live my life with purpose. You are the one who encouraged me to keep moving forward when my parents died. You are the one who told me to live a life my parents would be proud of. You are the one who told me to never lose hope, that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, that if you tried something hard enough you could achieve it. But right now when I look at you I see none of that unwavering will or optimism. All I see is a loser who has given up all hope!" She shouted, with tears beginning to form from the corner of her eyes.

Naruto felt like he was stabbed repeatedly with a knife. Every word she spoke forced him to recall what he had been doing for the past three days. All the times she had come to comfort him and All the times he chose to ignore her flashed through his mind. Shame began to fill his being as he realized his mistake. Did he really just lose hope after facing a single Titan? He could feel the faces of Maya, Renly and even Carla looking at his current state in disgust. He felt like the most pathetic being in the world.

Seeing the look of realization on his face, Mikasa turned around and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She knew he needed this. Mikasa knew that Naruto was strong both mentally and physically but she hated his tendency to carry everyone's burden by himself. She knew he was bottling up a lot of emotions for a long period of time. Even when her parents died she didn't remember him crying. She wanted him to know it was okay to lean on his friends in time of need. She wanted him to know that she, Eren and Armin will be there to share his burden. "You don't have to hold it in, Naruto. You can cry, there is no shame in crying for the loss of a loved one," she whispered in his ears as she held him tight.

His body shook as a single tear finally escaped his eyes. He tried to hold it in but it was too much for him as the dam finally broke and hot tears of anger and pain began to flow freely. He decided he didn't have to be strong right now. Just this once he would allow himself to be weak as he cried on her shoulder. Mikasa held him tight as he poured out all his frustration, anger and sadness. He had stood by her side for a long time, helping her to move forward and not let the sadness and pain consume her, He was and still is her pillar of strength. So at this moment, in his rare moment of weakness, she would be the pillar he could lean on. It was the least she could do after all.

They stayed like that for a few minutes as Mikasa comforted her friend before he broke the hug and wiped away the tears. He turned his head away from her, a slightly embarrassed blush on his face,"Thanks." he whispered out.

It was just a single word but Mikasa knew he truly meant it and felt happy that she could help him, at least this once.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a meditative pose. Taking a deep breath in he began to compose himself. Now that he was not ravaged by a plethora of raging emotions he knew exactly what he had to do. His breathing steadied and soon his body became completely still. He could feel his chakra getting calmer and calmer until it began to flow like a gentle breeze within him, filling him with serene calmness. He slowly began to erase any remaining doubt within his mind. He would never ever doubt himself again. He vowed to himself that this would be the last time he ever came close to giving up. This would be the last time he would ever doubt himself or the strength of the human race. From here on out, no matter what hurdles he may face or how much pain life may through his way, he would continue to move forward without stopping till he reached his goal. His goal being the extermination of the Titans. With his purpose found, he slowly opened his eyes but when he did they were no longer the dull, dead eyes they were a few minutes ago. No, his eyes shone with a strength that Mikasa hadn't seen before. It was like looking at a completely different person. His facial expression, body language everything looked more focused and deadly. A shiver ran down her spine when he saw the fire in his eyes. She knew at that moment that there was no need to worry about her friend anymore, for Naruto Uzumaki is back and he was back with a purpose.

A relieved smile graced Mikasa's lips as she saw her friend regain his will. Tearing the bread into two pieces she shoved it in front of his face,"Now Eat it, you look miserable." She said in a joking voice.

"he hehe… Thanks.." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he took the bread from her hand and the two began to devour their food in comfortable silence.

The silence was soon broken when they heard shouting from a distance. Turning their heads, they saw Eren shouting at a garrison soldier with an angry expression on his face.

"I guess we should stop before he gets into any trouble."

"Hai" Mikasa replied as they went to stop the situation from getting worse.

 **XXX**

 ** _A few minutes ago….._**

"This is only making the food shortage worse." A garrison soldier said as he looked at the crowd gathered to receive their rations in disgust. As far as he was concerned these outsiders would only cause more problem for the people inside wall Rose.

"Yeah, the Titans should have eaten more of these people." Another soldier agreed with him as he looked at some people fighting over the food. He was about to spout another scathing remark before he got kicked in the shin by Eren. Wincing in pain,"What the hell brat!" he shouted in anger and threw a punch at Eren, knocking him to the ground.

Gritting his teeth in pain," You don't know what you're talking about! You didn't see it with your own eyes, how the Titans feed on people without any mercy!" Eren yelled, a bruise already forming on his cheek as he got back to his feet with Armin asking him to calm down.

By now they have gained the attention of the surrounding people who were whispering among themselves as they looked at the scene with interest.

"What did you just say!?" The soldier shouted, his anger raising at the audacity of this loud-mouthed brat.' _Ungrateful little runt!'_ he thought as his hand cocked back to throw another punch at Eren, and he would have succeeded if it were not for Naruto who appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip before sweeping his legs from under him in seconds. _'What!?'_ He thought as his mind processed what just happened as he was left staring at the sky in shock. His shocked expression soon turned into one of anger as his slow mind processed what had happened as he sat up on the ground in anger,

"Who the fuc- " His voice died in his throat when he met Naruto's eyes. Those cold purple orbs seemed to pierce his very soul, watching his every move like a hawk. The fact that Naruto was releasing a concentrated dose of killing intent at him didn't help his case as well.

"You were about to say something?" Naruto's cold voice sent shivers down his spine.' _W-what is he!?'_ he thought as he tried to regain his composure.

Seeing as the soldier was ready to piss his pants Naruto cut off his Killing intent to allow the man to recover.

Quickly regaining his composure the soldier stood up," Y-you lot must be grateful!. You would all be dead without us." He said, his voice shaking a little as he stared the blond and red-haired teen with contempt.

"And we are grateful for that, but that doesn't mean we would watch silently as you go around treating us like trash," Naruto said with the same cold look on his face as he fixed the soldier with a glare.

Getting fed up with the arrogance of the blond brat he stepped forward to beat him up only for Armin to step in between him and Naruto,"We're sorry!" he shouted and bowed to the soldier with the most sincere sorry expression he could produce on his face.

" He is just ticked off because he is hungry. Please, we don't want any trouble," he said with his head still lowered in a bow.

Looking at the boy in front of him, he decided to let this incident slide, "Whatever …" He said as he walked away but not before directing one last warning glare at both Naruto and Eren.

Naruto watched him leave for a while before turning around to see Eren, Mikasa, and Armin returning back to the camp. He began walking in their direction but stopped when he felt someone watching him. Quickly turning around he saw a Blonde haired girl looking at him with an uninterested expression on her face. Their eyes met for a moment before she turned around and began walking towards one of the refuge building.

Naruto shrugged and was about to leave when he saw a middle-aged man who began following the blonde girl. He had a creepy expression on his face which set Naruto's danger senses off instantly. _'This guy could not be good news'_ He thought when he saw the guy follow her into an alley. Fearing for the girl's safety, he quickly rushed towards the alley. Turning the corner he saw the man getting ready to grab her from behind. He rocketed towards him without a second thought, hoping to prevent him from inflicting any harm, But was shocked and caught completely off guard when the girl, in a motion too quick to follow spun around and delivered a sickening roundhouse kick to the guy's face cracking his skull and knocking him out in an instant. In seconds her eyes saw the image of Naruto running towards her. Thinking he was about to attack her she drew a knife from her hip pouch and dashed towards Naruto with intent to kill. Naruto cursed as he narrowly dodged a strike to his head, but had no time to think as he had to dodge another strike from the girl.

"W-wait..I was trying to help you.." He tried to explain while dodging super fast horizontal and vertical slashes. The girl was good, he had to admit. But this was getting out of hand as she was getting dangerously close to striking him with each failed slash. Deciding he had to end this quick, He jumped back to create separation before he let loose a single throwing knife at her. Her eyes widened as she rolled to the side to avoid getting impaled, but that was all the time Naruto needed. Pumping chakra to his feet, he reached her side in seconds. Quickly grabbing hold of her hand, he disarmed her and knocked the knife away from them before dropping her to the ground, courtesy of a leg sweep. She tried to get back up but was unable to do as Naruto grabbed both her arms and straddled her from above.

"Calm Down!" he shouted, as he looked her in the eye. She struggled for a moment before she stopped resisting when she realized that there was nothing she could do right now.

Naruto loosened the grip on her hand," Okay, I'll release you but only if you promise me to stay quiet and listen. Okay?" As he gave her a smile to reassure her that he means no harm.

She was still not sure what to think of the boy, but nodded her head nonetheless."Okay, But I'll appreciate If you quit being a pervert and stop straddling a helpless fragile girl like me." She said in a bland tone.

"Let me guess, This is the part where I get all shy and embarrassed and step away from you only for the so-called helpless and fragile girl to get the drop on me. Nope! Not gonna happen!." He said with a smirk on his face.

Despite the position she was in, she couldn't help but smirk a little," Well, That usually works on everyone. Apparently, you're not everyone."

" You're damn right I am not anyone!" He said as he stood up and offered a hand to help her stand up.

She hesitated for a moment before taking his hand to stand up.

" Soo.. You were not trying to attack me?" she asked as she leaned on the side of a building. She looked much more relaxed since she figured out he meant her no harm.

Also, there was something about him that made her feel more comfortable than she probably would when meeting other strangers.

"No, I saw this creep following you and I followed him into this alley," he replied as he looked at the still knocked out creep.

"By the way, the way you took him out, was scary!. Fast, precise and deadly. Best way to take out someone if you ask me. " He said with a grin as he looked at the blonde girl standing across him.

"Oh, I am sure you could have done better. You did make that soldier look like a fool." She said with a matching grin on her face.

Naruto blinked, This was the first genuine emotion she had shown since he had met her, which was actually not too long ago.' _So she is proud of her skills.'_ Naruto thought as he studied the girl in front him. Naruto had to admit she was pretty. She wore a hooded sweatshirt and dark grey pants. she had moderate short blonde hair that was tied at the back with her right fringe draping over the right side of her face. She had an oval-shaped face and pale complexion. But it was her eyes that caught Naruto's attention. They had a sullen vibe to them like they were tired of seeing the cruelty this world could unleash.

Shaking his head, he extended his hand towards her," Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." he introduced himself.

Her eyes widened a little, but she concealed her surprise well,' _What!?…Uzumaki?'_ she thought as she looked at the boy in front of her,

"Annie Leonhardt," she replied as she shook his hand.

" We should leave before the creep gets back up," he said as he saw the man beginning to stir.

Nodding her head in agreement she began walking towards her camp with Naruto walking beside her.

"Soo, where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked, trying to strike a conversation with her.

"My father trained me in combat." her voice had a bitter tone to it, although she concealed it well, It was enough for Naruto to pick up.

"Not much love for your father huh?" He asked as he glanced at her with a curious expression on his face.

Annie turned her head to look at him, fully expecting him to have a mocking or a sympathetic expression on his face but was surprised when he gave her a look of curiosity and….understanding?

"Yeah, I hate being forced to do anything," she said as she shook her head to clear depressing thoughts entering her mind.

Although it was a vague answer, Naruto understood its meaning instantly. Her father had forced her into a lifestyle that she didn't want.

"You know you don't have to follow his ideas right?" His words causing her to stop dead in her track.

"W-what?" she looked at him in confusion.

Seeing her confused expression he decided to elaborate," I mean, why to follow something you don't believe in. You said it yourself. You don't like being forced to do anything. So why follow something you were forced to do in the first place?"

"Did I tell you I was forced to do anything?" she asked with narrowed eyes. Now starting to get annoyed at Naruto.

"No you didn't, But I can tell. Call it instincts or anything you want. I can tell you have conflicting thoughts. And I am not telling you or advising you to do anything. I am just saying you don't have to be bound by someone else's Ideals and ideas. You can choose your own path to walk."

For the second time in their short conversation, she found herself completely stumped at his words. Follow her own path? That thought had never crossed her mind before. She believed she would always be bound to the ideals of her father and… _them_. The mere thought of them caused her anger to spike. She was broken out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"h-huh?" she blinked as she saw Naruto looking at her with concern.

"Hey, Are you okay? You spaced out for a bit there?" There was genuine concern in his voice that surprised her. I mean who would feel concerned about someone they just met. Certainly, she wouldn't.

"y-yeah, yeah I'm fine," she replied as she took a few steps away from him to regain her composure.

Realising he had touched a sensitive subject, Naruto decided to change the topic," so do you have any dreams and goals for the future?"

Annie looked at him with a raised eyebrow,"Why do you want to know?" She asked in a curious tone. To her own surprise, she was starting to like this conversation. It felt good to have a normal conversation with someone for once.

"Just because," he replied with a nonchalant shrug

Sighing at him she decided to answer him," I don't have a dream, I just want to survive and lead a normal life." she replied with honesty.

"That's a great dream you have there, Annie." He said with a huge smile on his face. The honesty in his voice surprised her again.

"What? You look surprised. Believe me, It's a good dream. I mean I wanted the same thing until a few years ago." His smile faltered a bit as the memories of recent years flashed through his mind.

Now Annie was really interested,"So, What's your dream now?" she asked with a curious expression on her face.

Naruto looked at the sky as a gentle breeze ruffled his hair," I decided I have to kill them, the Titans, every single one of them." His arctic tone sent chills up her spine

Annie stood frozen as his cold gaze landed on her,"There is no place safe inside the walls anymore. I am gonna join the military training next year and join the scouting regimen to kill off every single Titan." He said with such conviction that Annie was instantly drawn believe his every word.

Despite being slightly scared at his statement a small smile graced her lips as she looked at the boy in front of her in a completely different light. Annie always respected people who had an unwavering will and dedication to follow the path they believed in.

"I know you can do it, Naruto." There was no deadpan or sarcasm in her voice. Just her honest and genuine opinion on his dream.

Naruto blinked, He was surprised at how genuine her answer was, Usually people laughed at Eren for saying the same thing," Thanks" he replied with a smile on his face.

With that, they walked in comfortable silence till they saw the camp Annie stayed in. They were nearing the camp when Naruto decided to ask something,

"You know, why don't you come stay with me and my friends?" He asked out of the blue, causing Annie to stop in her track and look at him with a surprised expression on her face

"You should really stop getting surprised by everything I say." He said in a playful tone causing her to blush a little in embarrassment.

"B-ut, but why?" She had seen his friends when he confronted that garrison soldier earlier this day, But she couldn't understand why he would want her to stay with him and his friends.

"Because we're friends now. That's why! " He said with a huge smile on his face.

"No, we're not." Her bland reply caused him to face fault into the ground.

"Sooo… mean," he whined in a pitiful tone as he got back up.

"I'm just honest," she replied with a small grin. Annie found herself getting more and more comfortable expressing herself to him. And it felt surprisingly good. He had a very inviting aura around him which made it easy for her to speak to him. Annie always had difficulty socializing with others. Even though she seemed callous on the outside, she did feel lonely sometimes. She was still Just an eleven-year-old girl after all.

"Oh, come on Annie, don't be shy, you know you like me." his teasing tone caused her eyebrows to twitch as she resisted the urge to smack him in his face.

"Besides you seem to have no one around your age here. We children should stick together you know?" he suggested to her.

Annie had to admit It was nice to be around the blond and red-haired boy. And she was intrigued by his last name 'Uzumaki.'

"Come on, Why don't you give it a try? If you don't like it you can always return here." He suggested, trying to convince her to stay with them. He didn't know why but he felt the need to help this girl and his instincts had always been right.

Annie contemplated for a few minutes, she was conflicted but decided to give it a try," Okay, I'll stay for a few days to see how I like your little group of friends."

"Alright!" Naruto said in an enthusiastic voice as he began leading her towards his camp.

They walked for some distance in silence before Naruto decided to open his mouth,

"Annie, If you are the type to feel shy around boys don't worry, we have a girl in our group."He said with a serious expression on his face, causing her eyebrows to twitch.

"I am. not. shy. around. boys" she said in an annoyed tone

"Really?"

"Yes! Really!"

"Are we friends now?"

"No. We're not."

"Sooo… mean."

As the two walked away from the camp they failed to notice the two figures watching them with narrowed eyes.

 **XXX**

"Where the hell is Naruto?" Eren said in an annoyed voice as he paced back and forth in front of a small campfire surrounded by Mikasa and Armin. Two hours had passed since their confrontation with the garrison soldier and Mikasa was starting to get worried.

"I'm sure he will be back soon, Eren," Armin assured his best friend while Mikasa kept glancing at the entrance every now and then.

"Armin, do you think that Naruto went after that blonde haired girl?" He asked out of the blue. The moment those words left his mouth, Mikasa's head whipped around so fast he thought her neck was gonna break. "What girl?" Though her voice was calm, both Eren and Armin could feel the underlying threat in her voice.

"Uhm… I don't know I just saw him looking at her while we were returning to the camp."  
He said in a nervous voice as he looked at Mikasa with caution. Both him and Armin knew Mikasa was very possessive when it comes to Naruto.

"Come on Eren, you think too much. There is no reason for him to go after her." Armin replied as he tried to reassure Mikasa and save his friend from getting pummelled.

Eren was about to say something when they heard footsteps approaching them from the entrance. Eren stopped pacing while Mikasa stood up from her place. A relieved smile graced her features when Naruto stepped into the light of the campfire.

"Naruto-" she began but her voice died in her throat when Annie made herself known by stepping into the light beside Naruto, her eyes staring at the three of them with an uninterested look on her face.

Armin's jaw hit the floor while Eren facepalmed at the situation.

Naruto was either oblivious or chose to ignore the tension as he gave everyone a blinding smile.

"Mikasa, meet the newest member to join our little group. Annie Leonhardt," he said as sparks flew between the two girls.

Armin sighed at the scene. He may not know what the future held in place for them but he did know one thing for sure. The next year is going to be an interesting one.

To be continued…..

Author's note:

Not a lot of action this chapter, But I do hope you find the conversations interesting. Also, I wanted our group to meet Annie before the training camp. Hope you guys liked that.


	4. The scrolls

**Maelstrom of Paradis Island**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Attack on Titan. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Hajime Isayama respectively.

 **Normal speech:** "Mikasa"  
 **Thoughts:** ' _Mikasa'_

 **Author's note:** Hi again, sorry for the late update. I had to rewrite this chapter almost three times. As usual, I would like to thank everyone who favored, followed and reviewed this story. It is your reviews that keep me motivated to write more chapters.

 **About the previous chapter…**

 **Ezeakel:** Yes, Naruto will start learning more about chakra soon. Your suggestions are really good, but I don't want to give Naruto the ability to use chakra chains. The Naruto in this story will be strong, but not invincible. Chakra chains will make taking down titans an easy task. Nevertheless, I assure you he will be a skilled 'Uzumaki'. As for Mikasa getting the Sharingan, logically she should have awakened it when she saw her parents getting murdered, So I am not sure. But I am definitely interested in your suggestion.

 **Pairing:** The pairing is still Naruto X Mikasa. As for Annie, realistically I don't think she would have any time for romantic thoughts as we all know the reason why she was sent to the walls.

 **And last but not least:** Naruto and Mikasa's progress in using chakra won't be drastic. They will progress at a realistic rate.

 **Previously on Maelstrom of Paradis island….**

"Mikasa, meet the newest member to join our little group. Annie Leonhardt," he said as sparks flew between the two girls.

Armin sighed at the scene. He may not know what the future held in place for them but he did know one thing for sure. The next year is going to be an interesting one.

 **Chapter four: The scrolls**

It was a clear night inside Wall Rose, the second of the three great walls, the wall which provided protection to the people after Wall Maria was breached a month ago. Unsurprisingly the sudden influx of people had caused a huge food shortage within humanity's second wall. The central government had ordered the refugees to be sent to cultivate land and secure food to reduce the sudden food shortage, but when that strategy didn't work the central government launched a campaign to retake wall Maria using the refugees. It was a dark day in humanity's history as 250 thousand men, almost fifth of the total population was forced on a suicidal mission so that others could survive. They marched into the sunrise knowing their fate and in the end, only 100 survived. With their sacrifice, food shortage improved, albeit a little, for those who survived.

Amidst the whispered conversations in the shadows and drunken mumbles from a few stragglers, a single hooded figure could be seen walking into an alley. The figure already seemed to have a destination in mind as it strode forward with purpose, but if one were to look closer they could see a slight hesitation in its step. A particularly heavy breeze lifted the hood from the figure revealing a blonde haired girl no older than eleven, She had blue eyes and a heart-shaped face with Pale skin. Her face was etched with a bland expression that showed disinterest to everything around her. She was the type of person that only cared about herself and would do anything in order to survive. Some may find her mentality disgusting, but she couldn't care less about what others thought of her.

Quickly adjusting her hood to cover her head the figure continued forward, each step she took as deft as the air, her eyes sharp, as she took in every little detail she could in that moonlit alley. This was no place for an eleven-year-old girl to be, especially in the middle of the night, but she was no normal child, she was warrior, a warrior who had seen and lived through things that most grown-ups had never seen, she was a warrior from a distant place outside the wall, a place that the people inside the walls had no knowledge of, She was a warrior sent with a mission which, if succeeded, would take away the last glimmer of power that resided within the three walls.

It was a couple of minutes before she reached a particularly remote alley, isolated from the rest of the town, a place only a few in their right mind would like to be in the middle of the night.

The smell of urine and human waste reached her causing her to scrunch her nose in disgust. Looking up she could see Graffitis that could have only been written by the mentally ill on the building walls. _'Why did they choose a place like this to meet?'_ She lamented in her mind as she walked towards a nearby wall.

Leaning against the wall, she continued to wait as the chirping of crickets and the occasional roaring of a distant titan echoed ominously throughout the alley.

Her hands twitched as her eyes kept darting to either side of her in caution, ' _Where are those two?'_ she thought as a single drop of sweat rolled down her forehead. The place had her on edge from the moment she had entered it. From it's remote location to its general untidy state everything about this place screamed danger. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her edgy nerves down and managed to succeed, albeit partially. As seconds stretched to minutes and the usual sounds of the night echoed throughout the alley, her mind drifted to the strange events of the past month, the month she had decided to stay with a group four children her age.

For the few weeks she had been staying with them Annie had observed the entire group carefully, especially Naruto, the Red and blond haired 'Uzumaki' who seemed to be the leader of the little group, that everyone looked up to and was the one who had invited her in the first place. The name 'Uzumaki' intrigued her to no end. She was of the knowledge that the Uzumakis were extinct, wiped out to their last child, so that they may never rise again. Why they were wiped out, she had no idea, but she knew there had to be a reason, a very good one at that and she intended to find that out. Nevertheless, the Red-haired blonde seemed to be the most skilled out of the four, a fact she had learned rather painfully through a spar in which he didn't hold back. Another thing that Annie found unique about him was his ability to keep the morale and the optimism in the group high. He had this aura around him that made others feel like everything was going to be okay. But despite all that Annie knew what made him extremely dangerous was not his skills with the knife or combat but rather his unpredictability and iron will. He was the type of person who would forge ahead when all others would have long given up, moving forward towards his goals with an unwavering will.

Then there was Mikasa Ackerman and Armin arlert. If Annie had not been surprised by finding an alive Uzumaki, she was certainly surprised to see a living, breathing Ackerman in front of her. Annie had ascertained the black-haired girl's character the moment the two had met. She was a survivor just like her, the only difference was Annie only cared about her own survival while Mikasa would throw her life away in seconds if it meant her friends could survive. She also seemed to be the only one who had a degree of control over Naruto, which was surprising since he was the type of guy who did what he wanted to do.

From the moment they had met Annie knew Mikasa would never trust her, which to her own surprise caused a slight pang in her heart. With skills second only to Naruto himself Annie knew Mikasa could become a great soldier if trained right, which brought her thoughts to her fellow blond of the group Armin Arlert. The blond-haired Arlert, who she had initially thought as the weakling of the group, had surprised her with his sharp mind. He seemed to be the voice of reason within the group and the others valued his opinion a great deal. There was no doubt in Annie's mind that he was the weakest of the group physically and would get slaughtered by the Titans the moment he stepped foot outside the walls. Mental sharpness could only get you so far when your enemy is so overwhelmingly powerful. But the thing that struck a chord with her was the way others treated him. They didn't Berate him for his weakness nor did they look down on him for his occasional cowardice. To them, he was a dear friend whose life was precious to them and would face down hell to protect him. Be it Naruto, Mikasa or Eren they would protect him at the cost of their own life. If Annie was paying attention she would have noticed a small smile forming on her face at that thought. The thought that someone like Armin who was most definitely weak and would, without a doubt be swept along with the flow being treated like a human had struck a chord with her.

Then there was Eren Yaeger, the hot-headed, short tempered and somewhat naive adopted brother of Naruto Uzumaki and the one she liked the most out of the group. His hate for titans was what seemed to be the drive for him. Despite being similar to Naruto in some aspects, he lacked the skills or the maturity that Naruto had and it was exactly for this reason that she liked him the most out of the group. There was something in his naivety that she found endearing, maybe it reminded her of what she had lost, and what she may continue to lose down the line as she continues to carry out her wretched mission.

 _'My mission'_ She thought as a frown formed on her face. That word left a bitter taste in her mouth. The events of Shiganshina flashed through her mind as she fought to keep her body still from the shiver she felt. She had seen it all, the gruesome massacre that she had played a part in instigating, the panicked cries for help from women, children and elderly going unanswered as the titans feasted on anything they could get their hands on. She had stood there and watched as the soldiers fought desperately to keep the Titans at bay till the citizens could escape through the inner gate, only for the Armoured Titan to break through the inner wall completely breaching wall Maria and dooming the people to their deaths. She could still see their horror-stricken faces as their desperate pleas and cries for help went unanswered before being devoured by the Titans. It haunted her dreams every night, eating away at her soul and conscience. The blood of thousands of innocents that were killed that day was on her hands and It was blood that she could never wash away. What she had done was something unforgivable, something disgusting that even the vilest of human beings would think twice before doing. An act so cruel and horrifying that she knew that there was no redemption for someone like her. And not for the first time she cursed her father for forcing her into a life that she knew would only end in misery.

 _'You know you don't have to follow his ideas, right?'_ Naruto's words echoed in her mind causing her to go momentarily still. That was the first time anyone had told her that she could walk her own path. But could she really do it? All her life she was trained for the single purpose of carrying out this mission, a mission which if succeeded would put an end to the cursed history of the people within the walls. A history that they don't even know. A part of her felt pity for the people of the walls and part of her felt guilty that she would be playing a role in bringing about their demise.

 _'I decided I have to kill them, the Titans, every last one of them_ ' Once again Naruto's words echoed in her mind. He had said those words with such conviction that for a moment she had actually believed he could do it.

Annie sighed and shook her head to drive away the conflicting thoughts. She had to focus on the upcoming meeting with her fellow warriors. After all, she knew there could be no redemption for her, for someone who had caused the deaths of thousands of innocents there could be no forgiveness or redemption. She was too far gone to look back now. So she would stick with the plan and see it to the end. An end that she knew would only bring her more pain and misery.

"It's not like you to be so distracted Annie." A voice spoke startling her back to reality as her eyes took in the form of two figures who had just entered the alley and were looking at her with disapproval on their faces.

The first figure was a boy with short blond hair and hazel eyes. His large height and broad shoulders gave him an intimidating presence. The second one was a tall, slender looking boy with dark hair and brown eyes. They were Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover, the two other warriors who were involved in the destruction of shiganshina.

"What do you two wanted to talk about?" Annie asked, almost in a dismissive way, as she stared at the two of them with narrowed eyes.

"You know what we wanted to talk about Annie! Don't act like you don't know what we're talking about." Reiner's voice kept raising as he felt irritated at Annie's flippant attitude.

"Calm down Reiner." The dark haired boy, now named Bertoldt, tried to calm his friend down. He looked at Annie with confusion marring his face,

" Annie, why are you staying with those kids?" He kept his voice as polite as possible hoping Annie would give them a good reason for her actions.

She hesitated for a movement, contemplating whether to answer their question. This managed to rile up Reiner even more as he began to suspect that something was up with Annie.

"You better not forget why we're here Annie." His voice firm, with a hint of steel in it, reminding her of her mission. Annie had been the one who had expressed the most displeasure in carrying out the mission from the start after all.

"I am keeping an eye on them." she finally answered as she looked at them with a blank expression. They stood there for few seconds waiting for her to continue, but when that never came, It managed to confuse both Bertoldt and Reiner even more as Annie had never been this difficult to deal with.

Being the more level-headed of the two boys, Bertoldt tried to keep the conversation from getting ugly as he asked Annie in the same polite voice,

"But why though?. We have to proceed with the mission to infiltrate wall Sina soon. And you are the best in infiltration among us. You can't keep staying with them, Annie." He said as he tried to reason with his fellow warrior.

Annie held back a scoff at his statement _'Best at infiltration?…Yeah right.'_ She thought as she looked at the two them with hidden disgust. She had known them since she was a child and had never liked either of them much. One was a brainwashed glory seeker and the other was a coward who followed the most popular opinion.

She was about to say something when Reiner beat her to the punch and spoke with a sense of finality in his voice.

"You must infiltrate Wall Sina soon Annie."

Annie's eyes narrowed at the tone in his voice. Ever since they had reached Shiganshina he had been ordering her around and if there was one thing that she hated, It was people telling her what to do. Nevertheless, the mission was important and she had to follow his decisions as he was the team leader now, As such she would have to infiltrate wall Sina except that she can't, with Naruto and the others watching her all the time, she had barely slipped out of the camp today to meet Reiner and Bertoldt here.

"I can't." she finally answered, her blatant refusal managed to shock both Berthold and Reiner.

"What do you mean you can't? You know how important the mission is Annie." Bertold tried to reason with her while Reiner looked at her with barely hidden contempt.

"They will get suspicious if I just keep disappearing every now and then. I just can't afford that with that group." If they were not surprised by Annie before, they were certainly shocked by her statement now.

"You can't afford?. Annie, they are just ordinary children. They won't suspect a thing." Reiner spoke, his voice more confused than angry. His mind trying to understand why Annie would be cautious of a group of children.

Annie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that statement," They are not normal by any means. One of them is an Ackerman and the other an…Uzumaki." She said as she looked them in the eye with a serious expression on her face.

Bertoldt's eyes widened a little before a look of realization came across his face while Reiner remained clueless.

"Uzumaki? Ackerman? What does that have to do with anything?" He questioned as he looked at Bertold for some explanation.

"Really? There is really an Ackerman and Uzumaki inside the walls?" He asked ignoring Reiner's look for an explanation. If what Annie said was true, then the group could be worth keeping an eye on.

"Yes, that's what I said. And I am keeping an eye on them. You have to find a way to infiltrate wall Sina by yourself."

" Wait, hold on Bertold what is she saying?" Reiner finally asked, having had enough of being kept in the dark.

He was about to reply when the sound of approaching footsteps alerted them of a presence. They seized their conversation instantly,

"Reiner, I'll explain later. I think its best to leave that group to Annie." He said as all three of them prepared to leave the place.

"Fine," Reiner grumbled out, rather reluctantly as he gave Annie one final look of warning before both him and Berthold walked out of the shadowed alley and disappeared without a trace, leaving Annie behind.

Annie stared at the place where her fellow warriors stood before she decided to leave as well. She hoped nobody in the camp had woken up to find her missing, as such an event could cause her lots of trouble. She stepped out of the alley and disappeared as if she was never there.

It didn't take too long for her to reach the camp. Deftly, without a single noise, she made her way through the entrance to find Naruto, Armin, Mikasa and Eren sleeping peacefully without a trace of worry on their face. She let out a relieved sigh at that. A part of her felt jealous that they could still sleep like that after everything they had gone through. To be able to sleep without the guilt of murder eating away at your soul was something she could never have. Shaking her head to drive away the depressing thoughts, she took her place among the group and tried to get some much-needed sleep.

 **XXX**

 **The next day morning…**

Purple-blue eyes drifted open to the sound of bell tolling in the distance. Sitting up, Naruto blinked his eyes to gain focus as he looked around the camp to see Armin, Mikasa, and Eren waking up. He was glad to see that Armin was doing well after his grandpa died on the campaign to recapture wall Maria. He once again found himself cursing the accursed Titans for bringing so much pain and destruction in their lives. He frowned when he saw Annie trying to wake up, albeit with great difficulty. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked like she had not slept for weeks when in reality It was only one night.

"Morning!" he greeted everyone as he stood up and stretched his back to get rid of the kinks.

"Morning." Everyone droned out, still feeling sleepy, especially Mikasa who was not a morning person.

" Do we really have to wake up this early?" Eren asked as he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the sleep. Armin and Mikasa nodded their head with their eyes still closed agreeing with Eren as Annie finally managed to sit up.

"Yes, and you will continue to do so this entire year."

"Huh? But why?" Eren whined, not understanding why he must keep waking up this early.

Naruto folded his arms as he looked at them in a thinking posture," Hmmm…How about preparing for the military training. Does that sound like a good reason." He asked with a smile knowing this would instantly grab Eren's interest as Mikasa and Armin's eyes snapped open.

Eren perked up instantly, his face lighting up with excitement," Really?! You're gonna teach me some of your moves." he asked as he stood up from his place, his sleep completely forgotten.

" Yes, Eren. Now go get ready to leave for our usual training place." He replied with a sinister smile which sent shivers down the spine of all three of them.

 _'Why do I feel like I am going to regret this'_ Was the unanimous thoughts of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin as they went to get ready for whatever it was that Naruto had planned for them.

"Preparing them for Military training? Really? You couldn't come up with a better excuse." Annie asked as she looked at Naruto with a knowing look.

"Oh, And what makes Ms. Know-it-all think I lied to them?"

Her eyes twitched at his slight jibe," You know I am right."

"No, you're not. It's about time we started preparing for the military… You can join us if you want." He offered her. Even though It had been few weeks since she started staying with them, Naruto felt like she hadn't really meshed with the group yet. He was hoping that this training exercise could integrate her more into the group.

"Sure, why not?" Annie shrugged, she didn't lose anything by joining them in training besides she was curious to see what Naruto had planned for them.

Naruto smiled as he began to put his plan into motion.

 **XXX**

 **A random clearing, few hours later….**

The sound of labored breathing could be heard from the middle of the clearing as Eren and Armin were down on the ground, drenched in sweat, their eyes closed, chest hitching and heaving desperately for air as they had just completed what Naruto had labeled as a warm-up.

"C-come on Naruto, That's enough for today, don't you think?." Eren pleaded from the ground as he looked to his right to see Mikasa and Annie still standing but completely exhausted as well.

 _'That was just a warm-up'_ Both Mikasa and Annie thought in disbelief as they fought to keep standing.

"T-too m-much exercise could be detrimental to development Naruto." Armin gasped out as he tried to support his friend and find a way to end this torture session.

Naruto looked at the completely exhausted group and contemplated Amin's words. Truth be told he was completely exhausted as well and the part about this being only a warm-up was a lie he had said to set the bar really high for them.

"Okay, that is enough for today. But before that," He turned around to look at Annie with a grin,

"Oi Annie lets see if can hit me this time." Naruto challenged her with a 'come get me' gesture with his hand.

Blue eyes narrowed at his obvious disrespect. She may not show it but she was extremely proud of her skills in combat. And for someone to mock her skills, they were asking for trouble.

"..Huh? Careful. I might hit you where the sun doesn't shine." Her voice was soft, uncaring even, but even an idiot could see the hidden challenge in her words, daring him to beat her this time, as she strode forward into the sparring circle and brought both her hands in front of her face and settled in a fighting stance, as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin watched from the sidelines.

"You wish," he whispered with a grin as he settled into a loose form.

They both stayed like that for a second, their gaze reading their opponents movements before Naruto took the initiative and dashed forward towards her and delivered a lightning fast right, only to hit air as Annie moved her head to the side, _'she's faster now'_ He thought in slight surprise before he saw a fast left coming from Annie. He waited until the last possible second to dodge her, His sudden movement caused her to overextend just a little, which was all he needed. He was about to step forward into her guard when Annie surprised him again with her lightning-fast movements. Quickly regaining her balance, her hand whipped out to knock his attempted punch away before she delivered a sickening kick to his shin…..only to miss as he jumped above her leg and landed on his feet, before in a motion too fast to follow, spun around with a lightning fast leg sweep, which he would have connected if it were not for Annie jumping back to avoid his legs and creating some distance between the them. All of this happened in seconds as they left the spectators stunned.

" Woah .. that was intense." Eren marveled, as he saw the two stare down each other. Armin was in the same boat as him, while Mikasa just watched with narrowed eyes.

" Huh?…Did I make you speechless." Annie questioned as she stared at the surprised face of Naruto.

"Y-you… You're smiling." He said with a bright grin began to form on his face.

"Huh?" she blinked. Now that she was paying attention, she could see she was indeed smiling. A genuine, carefree smile. Something she had forgotten how to do over the years. For some reason, her chest felt heavy at that moment, but she chose to ignore it.

" What?… you think I don't smile."

"Actually, I honestly thought you were incapable of smiling.." He said with a completely serious expression on his face.

"Asshole" she whispered before she dashed forward without warning, catching him off guard, as her leg whipped out to deliver a vicious kick to his shin, dropping him to the ground in pain.

"Itai! That hurt Annie!" he grunted out, as he held his leg in pain.

"Now you know I can get a hit on you." Her voice was leveled but everyone could feel the barely hidden triumph in her voice.

" Are you okay?" Mikasa asked as she helped Naruto to his feet while Annie kept walking away from the group.

"Oh, I am good." He assured her as he noticed Eren chasing after Annie. A small smile began forming on his face which put Mikasa instantly on edge, She knew that smile very well. It was a smile he wore when he was plotting something.

"Don't," she said causing him to look at her in confusion,

"Huh?"

"Whatever it is you are planning, don't do it."

"Ahh, what are you talking about Mikasa-chan?….. come on let's go back to the camp!" He replied quickly as he began dragging both Armin and Mikasa out the clearing before they could protest. He turned his head to have one last look at Eren before he continued on his way back to the camp.

 **XXX**

"Oi! Annie wait up!" Eren's panting voice caused her to stop in her track as she turned around to look at him

"….Eren? What do you want?" Her disinterested tone might have driven anyone away but not Eren.

" That was some technique you got there Annie! You even got the drop on Naruto!" He praised her on her victory. It was strange, but he actually felt happy that Naruto actually lost for once.

"…Thanks…But I simply caught him off guard." She stated the obvious, but Eren was not convinced.

"Huh? It doesn't matter. He was foolish enough to drop his guard and you took advantage of it. It was a fair fight if you ask me."

Annie raised a delicate eyebrow at that, " You're right I guess." She droned out as she sat atop a boulder and looked at him with intense blue eyes.

"So, what do you really want Eren?" she said finally getting to the point of the conversation.

Eren faltered a little as he squirmed under her intense azure gaze," Uhmm…. You see .. Annie… can you teach me how to fight like you?"

" No, forget it."

" What!? You didn't even hesitate." Disbelief was Clear in his voice. He had expected her to decline, but to be turned down without a single shred of hesitation, that was just brutal.

"I didn't need to," she said in the same dismissive tone.

"Come on, Annie! At least give me a reason." he pleaded. He was not going to give up just because she said no once.

"… Because It's pointless. You don't fight Titans with hand to hand combat. Besides, why don't you ask Naruto or Mikasa?" She was genuinely confused why he wouldn't ask them. After all, Naruto was better than her and Mikasa was on par with her.

Eren blinked, " Funny how I said the same thing to Naruto?" He mumbled loud out enough for Annie to hear who was instantly curious to know his response.

" … And what did he tell you?"

"What do you think he told me?"

" Uhmm…. Probably beat you up for being a smart ass and forced you to do it anyway." She guessed, a playful tone found its way into her voice, surprising even her.

She cocked an eyebrow when he saw Eren's stunned visage, His expression positively stupid,

"What? Don't tell me he actually did that," she asked in disbelief, her surprise only increased when Eren nodded his head confirming what she had said.

The image of an irate Naruto, beating up Eren for being a smart ass was too comical in her mind that she let out a small involuntary giggle. It was soft, beautiful even, as it managed to capture Eren's attention completely. He stared at her smile, her eyes displaying a rare glow in them, her usual bored and sullen look disappeared for a second, exposing to the world, her true self.

 _'Wow..'_ Even as he marveled at the rare occurrence, her face returned to its usual bland self, her eyes losing that beautiful glow, forcing Eren to wonder if what he had seen just seconds before was just his imagination.

"So…. You won't stop asking until I teach you?" Annie knew Eren won't take no for an answer besides she was in an unusually good mood today.

"Yeah, You could say that." He nodded his head confirming her suspicion.

She contemplated for a few more minutes before finally giving in,

"….Fine." she finally said with a small smile as she saw Eren's face light up with excitement.

 **XXX**

"what are you planning, Naruto?." Mikasa finally asked. Armin had gone ahead to the camp to get them food leaving them all alone in the middle of the forest.

"I told you I am not planning anything, didn't I?"

"I don't trust her." she whispered gaining his attention,"And you just left Eren all alone with her."

"whao..whao.. calm down Mikasa-chan. He can take care of himself. And you will have to start trusting others in the future, why not start with her?"

"I don't care about others." she insisted prompting Naruto to sigh at her attitude.

" Stop fretting over Eren okay?! It's because of your constant nagging that he keeps getting irritated at you!" His voice came harsher than he had intended to, as she took a step back in slight shock. It was just a slight rise in his voice, but it hurt as small drops of tears began to form on the corner of her eyes. _'What is wrong with me?'_ she thought as she desperately fought back the tears. she couldn't understand why his words affected her that much. It was not the first time someone had yelled at her. So why? Why did her chest feel so heavy? _'Nagging?'_ The way he had used that word was what hurt her most. She was not nagging, was she?. She was only worried about their safety. Was this how he really felt?. An unknown fear began to seep into her heart.

"Do I annoy you as well?" she asked, her voice meek, almost afraid to hear his answer.

Naruto cursed as he saw state Mikasa was reduced to. If he was not thinking about possible ways to console her, he would have found the current scene funny. The cold, stoic, and strong Mikasa reduced to tears by a few harsh words. Even he found that hard to believe. But right now he had a girl to console and that took priority over everything.

"Mikasa, look at me." He said as he grabbed her shoulders in a firm grip, His voice soft and tender, almost a whisper, complete opposite to the tone he had previously used.

"Look at me." He repeated as Mikasa finally looked at his soft eyes, eyes that held care and love that filled her with warmth.

"You don't annoy me. You never can. You just need to stop worrying so much about us. Okay?" He used the most honest voice he could use as he tried to erase her fear and from the slight smile that graced her face he knew he had succeeded.

He let out a relieved sigh as he gave himself a mental pat. It was a good thing he knew how to console her.

"N-naruto…" His friend's voice brought him back to reality only to be enveloped in a tight hug from her.

 _'Huh!?'_ He stood frozen for a moment. Did his words affect her that much? Now he felt like the biggest jerk in the world. If there was one thing he hated more than the Titans, It was seeing her unhappy. She was his first friend, maybe more than a friend, he didn't know, but the fact remained she was the one who understood him the most and she was the one he considered most precious in this world. There was not a thing he would not do to keep her happy.

He hugged her back as he felt her body melt into his embrace, her head rested in the crook of his neck. "Thanks," she whispered out as she shifted her head to look at his face.

Naruto's breathe caught in his throat as he gazed at her face just inches away from him. Now that he was paying attention he finally noticed how beautiful she looked. Her perfect blemishless skin, her soft pink lips, her shining black eyes and finally her black hair with a tint of blue in them that fluttered in the morning breeze, they seem to hypnotize him, drawing him towards her.

"Beautiful…" he whispered out before he could realize what he was doing.

Mikasa's heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushed as a strange heat began to form in her chest, _'Did he really just say that'_ She desperately wished her mind was not playing games with her and he truly did say those words.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked as he snapped out of his daze before his eyes widened in realization.

"Uhmm…. Ermm… Mikasa…. you see…" He stuttered as he tried to come up with an excuse for his slip up.

"W-we… should probably go back to the camp," Mikasa suggested as she saw his flustered state. Naruto thanked her in his mind as he let out a relieved sigh.

"Y-yeah lets go," he replied in a hurry as he began walking towards the camp, with Mikasa right beside him.

They went like that for some time before Mikasa broke the silence.

"Naruto, about Annie…" she began but was immediately interrupted by him.

"Do you trust me?" his voice serious, demanding her to answer.

"I do." she replied almost instantly.

"Then trust me, when It comes to her okay?"

"B-but.."

"Just give her a chance. You won't regret it...I promise" He assured her. He could see she was close to giving in, she just needed a little more push.

"Won't you do it for me?" he asked, instantly shutting down another reply she might have given.

"Fine." she relented. She would give her a chance. If Naruto trusts her the least She could do was give her a chance.

 **XXX**

 _ **Night time, refugee camp….**_

Purple-blue eyes stared at the ceiling in deep thought. Naruto shifted in his place as he was unable to sleep tonight, which was surprising since everything went as he had wanted them to, today. He had successfully convinced Mikasa to give Annie a chance and if what he guessed was right, a beautiful friendship could be forming between Eren and Annie. Which left Armin as the odd one out. Naruto had to admit he had been unnecessarily harsh on the blond haired boy in the past. He had thought his weakness could cause Eren and Mikasa trouble in the future. But overtime Armin had managed to change his view of him. There was no denying he was physically the weakest one among them, but he made up for that with a sharp brain. If only he could improve his physique he would be a force to be reckoned with. Thinking about Armin, made his mind drift to the events of _that_ day, The day the refugees were sent on a campaign to recapture wall Maria. The day Armin's grandfather said his final goodbye to them. As someone who was raised by a grandfather, Naruto knew what Armin would have felt at that time And It was the way in which he dealt with his loss that finally gained him Naruto's respect.

Seeing all those people being forced to go on a suicidal mission and later finding out that only 100 among them survived had lit a new fire in Naruto's heart. The unimaginable loss of human life confirmed the overwhelming advantage that the titans possessed. Humanity needed something to shift the odds in their favor if they ever plan to recapture Wall Maria.

A single thought entered his mind.

 _'Chakra'_ It was an answer he already knew, but right now he had no Idea how to use it. If only he could open those scrolls. He had certainly tried, each and every day, without fail, But the result was always the same. It just wouldn't open.

Sighing in frustration, he got up from the floor and proceeded to exit through the entrance of the camp. The rays of the moon provided him with light as he made his way towards the nearby forest and soon reached the clearing they were using this morning. He sat down beneath a tree and took the three scrolls from his hip pouch.

He stared at them, trying to find any clue on how to open them, But as usual nothing could be found.

Placing a scroll on the ground, he channeled chakra into it. The scroll glowed a light blue, but it didn't open, gritting his teeth in frustration he continued pumping more and more chakra into it, hoping that by some miracle it would open. But it never did.

"Dammit!" He shouted and punched a nearby tree, the hard surface scrapped against his fist, causing him to bleed.

 _'Itai!'_ He cursed as he held his bleeding hand in pain. _'stupid fucking tree'_

He grabbed the scroll as his blood stained it a little. He was about to gather the remaining two when his senses screamed at him as he heard a disturbance from the nearby bushes.

"Who is it!? come out!" he shouted, his body already settled into a fitting stance. Ready to strike at a moments notice.

"It's just me," Mikasa said she stepped into the clearing with confusion marring her face.

Her expression soon turned into realization when she noticed the scroll in his hand.

"It didn't open, did it?" She already knew the answer but wanted him to confirm it.

He pumped chakra into it one more time, fully expecting the same result," Yeah, It was the same as alway-"

 **POOF**

Shock and confusion filled them as smoke erupted from the scroll, momentarily startling both of them before their eyes bulged to the size of dinner plates.

Mikasa gasped, momentarily loosing her ability to think as she stood there frozen in disbelief.

 _'No way...'_ Naruto thought as his hand trembled a little. His mind unable to comprehend what had just happened, As he prayed to every deity that what he was staring at was not some sort of sick illusion.

There in his hand, with all the secrets of chakra waiting to be read, was the opened Uzumaki scroll.

To be continued…

Author's note:  
I know the story may seem a bit slow paced right now, but I assure you it will get better in the following chapters. Be sure to review and share your thoughts.

Jane!


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